


Twilight Blue

by NightDuchess



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Universe, F/M, Mild Blood, Mild Kink, ReiKasa, ReinerxMikasa - Freeform, Smut, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-28
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-01-06 11:00:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 22,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12209910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightDuchess/pseuds/NightDuchess
Summary: The top 2 rising Cadets of the 104th found themselves in a rather unhinged situation. They had always been notoriously known for their insane physical strength and extraordinary capabilities as soldiers but a training excursion unexpectedly triggered their much darker, animalistic side which they kept hidden so well from the world. What began as a simple attraction escalated into a battle for dominance. ReinerxMikasa - Alternative Plot (AP) in Canon Universe.





	1. Can't Fight The Moonlight

**Author's Note:**

> I always had a hankering for these two after I got into the series. Although RivaMika was my first love without a doubt, I still could not get ReiKasa out of my head. I know this is a very rare, less popular pairing and would make more sense in a modern AU, yet I like to explore the canonical possibilities.
> 
> (This fic started out as a potential ReiMikaBert story but I decided to switch it to ReiMika featuring Bertolt as the third person looking at their interaction instead). Twilight Blue is supposed to be a 10-pages one-shot but it escalated to 30+ pages, therefore, to any closet ReiKasa fans out there, please look forward to the final parts of this fiction soon.
> 
> If you'd like to discuss more on this pairing, give me a buzz at my Tumblr : queenofidealism.
> 
> Thank you for your time!

 

 

 

It was Day 4 of their wilderness survival training and it had been four days four nights of her being separated from Eren and Armin as well. This wasn’t her first time being away from her two loved ones. Absolutely not. They were placed in separate teams during their first wilderness exercise just a month before. But why did she feel as if there was an immovable blockade inside her heart?

 

The soles of her boots crushed a bunch of dry leaves and trudged on a couple of scattered stones along the forest pathway. Her two teammates were leading their movements through the canopies of tall birch and pine trees. Occasionally, the short and sweet music whistled by the spring birds lulled her senses to a temporary calm, soothing her inner turmoil.

 

_It was a bright day of clear blue skies with warm rays of golden sun overlooking all cadets of the 104th military trainees batch under the watchful gaze of Keith Shadis, the most feared instructor and also the main source of nightmares for most of the aspiring soldiers. It was already two hours after their melee training began. Mikasa was sparring (and mostly coaching) with Armin along with the rest of the other trainees._

_“You have to be quick and be ready to predict your opponent’s pattern, Armin,” she guided as she charged towards the other boy with a set of moves starting with several punches, kicks and ended with an uppercut while Armin helplessly tried to defend from Mikasa’s advances. “Defend, Armin!”_

_“I’m trying, Mika. You’re. Too. Fast!,” cried the shorter boy. He was obviously struggling, albeit Mikasa practically held back her usual force by 50% during training. Out of the corners of her eyes, she saw Reiner speaking to Eren and from what she deduced, the taller blonde was egging her brother to challenge Annie for his sick amusement. Amongst the female cadets, Annie was one of the strongest and was considered Mikasa’s closest rival when it came to strength and combat skills. Annie pulled an impressive move and leg-swiped Eren in a swift movement before walking away. But Eren, being her stubborn-idiot brother Eren, decided one humiliation wasn’t enough, he had to provoke Annie for another round. ‘That idiot’._

_Armin yelped out of the blue, “I yield, Mika. I like my neck in one piece. Help...” Mikasa was shaken out of her reverie as she realized that she had subconsciously placed Armin in a chokehold. The latter almost suffocated. “Sorry, Armin. Let’s take five, shall we?,” she said, while helping the smaller boy up to his feet._

_Soon after making sure poor Armin breathed properly again, she turned her gaze to Reiner Braun and Bertolt Hoover who were in the middle of their sparring and blatantly called out to the tallest young man of their group. “Bertolt, do you mind if we switch partners? I need Reiner’s help with something.”_

_Bertolt looked at his best friend and shrugged, “I-I don’t see why not, Mikasa. I guess I could use a break with Armin myself.” He walked towards Armin and settled on a spot next to him._

_“You need my help, doll?” Reiner gave an inquisitive look towards the younger Oriental girl._

_Mikasa’s lips formed a tight smile and she stepped much closer to him, trying hard not to cringe at the nickname he decided to bestow upon her. She looked up from the strong frame of his shoulders all the way up towards his face. “I need your input with this particular counter grapple technique. Like this,” she quickly positioned her back against Reiner’s front while silently observing Eren and Annie’s interactions at the same time._

_“Grab me from the back,” she ordered and Reiner pushed forward, precisely wrapping his arms around her chest and torso, totally mindful of their bodies' close proximity. Mikasa initially planned to flip her current unsuspecting partner onto the ground before locking him into a yielding position. However, she was slightly taken aback when she saw how Annie body-slammed Eren into submission and was using her thighs to hold his head down. Her freaking thighs!_

_She was definitely oblivious to the fact that her sudden agitation caused her to squirm against Reiner’s solid hard body, her derriere brushed against his nether regions suggestively, powerful thighs against another. He swallowed a lump in his throat upon the sudden contact, even more so with the way his arm rested against her soft breasts and tight abs. ‘Get a grip, Reiner!’ He took in a deep breath and whispered next to her ear, “As much as I enjoyed being in this position with you, Mikasa, I really don’t think I should be having a hard-on while we’re sparring.”_

_Mikasa saw red._

_The next thing she (and everyone else) remembered was Reiner’s heavy build flying across the field towards Eren, with Annie jumping away in the nick of time avoiding the unfortunate landing._

_“Why are you here, Reiner?,” Eren cried out in pain as he tried to move the larger guy from on top of him._

_‘She’s crazy strong but that was fucking hot,’ was all Reiner could mutter internally._

_“Hey, Annie,” came the source of his agony, walking tall and poised like she owned the ground she walked on. “Mind teaching me that move too?”_

_The shorter, fair-haired girl chuckled in response. “That move was meant to be used on a human. I highly doubt that move would work on a **beast**.”_

_“Oh? We shall see….” Mikasa broke into a fighting stance, hands held up to accept Annie’s offensive strike. Their fellow trainees had gathered to witness the most anticipated fight amongst the 104th cadets. Some were already placing bets on the potential winner. “Who do you think will win? They’re both like the strongest females.”_

_Marco chimed in, “I think Annie could win.” Much to Jean’s annoyance. “I bet all my dinner on Mikasa!”_

_Even Reiner, who had recovered from his previous fall decided to coax Eren into choosing a side. “So, Eren, who do you think it’s gonna be?” Never realizing the underlying meaning of his own question._

_“Listen here, you retards!” Instructor Shadis suddenly appeared out of nowhere, interrupting the sparring even before it began and causing most of the cadets to actually jumped off their toes. Nevertheless, they all responded with their salute to the Instructor._

_“Before you start slacking off on your jolly asses, all of you pathetic pile of turds will start your next wilderness training tomorrow. You will be divided into three-men teams. For seven days, you will walk, run, eat, breathe and even shit with your team members. Once teams had been announced, there will be no switchings allowed! For each day, your team must travel to the selected terrains with limited supplies and only your wits for your survival.”_

_Shadis’ assistant, an unidentified auburn-haired lady, took over the briefing and shared the team segregation information. “Attention Cadets. The first name mentioned for the team will be the appointed leader. Team 1 : Kirschtein, Blouse and Wagner. Team 2 : Bodt, Arlert and Lenz. Team 3 : Floch, Ymir and Carolina. Team 4 : Yeager, Leonhardt & Springer. Team 5 : Braun, Ackerman and Hoover…”_

_‘Kill me.’ Was all that Mikasa’s inner voice could say._

 

Day 1 and 2 had been tolerable. Mikasa kept silent most of the time. Only Reiner and Bertolt talked to each other during their journey from one particular terrain to the next. Reiner the leader, Bertolt the record keeper and Mikasa, the other team member. It was an amicable arrangement, at least to her. It was enough for them to survive through this training without her having to have an imposed camaraderie with her teammates. It didn’t stop Reiner from trying to get her attention from time to time though and that was starting to make her feel uneasy. It felt like he genuinely cared about her thoughts, her feelings and it scared her a little bit.

 

Meanwhile, day 3 was borderline irritating. Apart from the dwindling condition of the weather, from sunny to light drizzle out of a sudden, the change of the environment caused an unforeseen shift onto their planned route. While they were standing still in the middle of the slightly muddy pathway discussing an alternative passage, another team passed by and it was none other than Eren’s group. What a curious coincidence indeed. A short exchange occurred between the two teams before parting ways soon after. As much as Reiner noticed Bertolt’s uneasiness upon witnessing Eren and Annie’s developing bond, he couldn’t help but sympathize as Mikasa stood dumbfounded after a minor tiff with her adopted brother. Reiner settled his hand on the top of her hooded head as a furtive show of support. She didn’t even respond in any form at all.

 

Reiner cleared his throat as he turned his head towards Mikasa and Bertolt, breaking her train of thoughts when they come upon a distant clearing, about few feets away from the nearby riverbank. “I think we’ve combed through more of our targeted distance today. We can set up camp here. I’ll try to scour the forest for our dinner. Bertl, you can set the tent up and help Mikasa set up a fire.” He left, heading south of their camp’s location, intending to find edible games for the night.

 

It was already late afternoon and in a few hours, the sun would be setting. Mikasa sent a silent hand signal to Bertolt, informing him that she was making her way into the woods as well to gather dry branches for their fire pit.

 

To be honest, she just wanted to be alone for a while, just so she could gather her thoughts. She had been in different groups from Eren several times before, but why did the mission this time around made her feel uneasy?

 

Was it because this time the group was much smaller and it made her feel even more conscious around her current teammates, who were still potential candidates in surpassing her for the top spot?

 

Or was she hurting because Eren swatted her hand away so carelessly when she just wanted to ask whether things had been okay with him for the past few days? It was a taunting coincidence by the universe. What were the odds that their teams would cross paths with each other yesterday?

 

_“You’re not my mother, Mikasa. Stop it!”_

_“I’m just worried about you, Eren.”_

_“If you want to know so badly how I’ve been these past few days, well it had been GREAT because I can really breathe without you hanging over my neck for the first time.”_

_“Eren…..”_

_“Jeez, can’t you last a few more days without treating me like a child? It’s like breathing underwater when I’m with you,” exclaimed Eren with ire marring his face as he looked towards the two older guys behind her. “Reiner, Bertolt, sorry if my sister’s been a handful to you guys. Let’s go, Annie, Connie.”_

_Mikasa didn’t miss the sympathizing look on Annie’s face as Eren tapped her back and walked away together. She swore she could hear her heart breaking at that particular time. Her figure stood still, stunned that her brother would disregard her so coldly._

 

“How’s the collection going?”

 

“!” She made a quick turn towards the source of the intrusive voice only to find herself staring at her team leader. A look of concern reflected on his face. In his hands, she saw the games he had hunted successfully. Embarrassed that she was caught in the middle of her thoughts, she answered while lifting the bundle of branches she managed to collect earlier in her hands, “Most of the woods were still wet from the rain last night but I think we have plenty for tonight.”

 

“That’s good enough. We’ll think of something else. Chances are it might rain again tonight so all the extra woods might no longer be useful. You want me to carry those?” Reiner offered his hand to help but she shook her head. “Don’t worry. I’ve carried a lot more when I was 10. This is nothing.” Of course, he was VERY aware of how strong she could be. She was the reason he could ‘fly’ across the training yard effortlessly.

 

Nevertheless, he nodded and together, they headed back to their campsite a few feets away. Side by side, their walk was a silent experience until they saw Bertolt perched on top of a tree stump, seemingly writing down their recent happenings of the day in a designated log.

 

Reiner paused his steps and looked at the younger girl. “I hope you didn’t take what Eren said to heart yesterday. He still has a lot to learn.”

 

She grunted and glared at him in response. “Why are we talking about it now?”

 

“Because you’ve been so quiet since we saw them yesterday. I enjoyed the peace and all but it’s shaking up our team’s dynamic, Ms. Grumpy-Pants.”

 

“Please drop it, Reiner. I apologize so please, just let it go.” Mikasa let out a defeated sigh.

  

XoXoX

 

Later that night, the three of them sat together around their fire pit after having a dinner of roasted rabbits and grilled fish, courtesy of Reiner’s hunting and Bertolt’s fishing skills. The two young men sipped on their coffee and talk about the findings of the day. Bertolt could be seen continuing his writing on the journey log. Once in awhile, he snuck a glance towards their female teammate. He initially thought being on a smaller team with Mikasa might be an intimidating experience but he found out it was quite the opposite. It made him wonder though, why Instructor Shadis decided that the three of them should be grouped together. They were, after all the top three candidates on the current performance ranking.

 

Bertolt had an inkling nonetheless; it might have something to do with Mikasa’s extreme attachment to Eren and how that attachment might cloud her judgment during battles. She was a natural genius when it comes to 3DMG manipulation and hand-to-hand combat, on top of her extraordinary strength but it didn’t escape his observation that Mikasa had troubles working with people she wouldn’t trust. If one day they were deployed into the battlefield, she might charge ahead of her own team like a loose cannon and place her own teammates in danger lest she managed to have a better grip on her emotions.

 

Across from where he was sitting, the girl in subject was staring at the dark canvas above, also dwelling in her own thoughts. The soils were wet, the smell of after rain permeated through the air in a way only nature’s perfume could do. Mikasa loved the scent and she felt like she couldn’t get enough of it. She looked up towards the black sky, adorned with stars and it brought up a very melancholic feeling within her. ‘The moon will be full tomorrow. I missed the night when Papa would settle a blanket outside the house when it was a full moon and tell amazing stories of brave knights and warriors.’

 

Reiner, who was using his survival knife to carve a makeshift pike, looked up from his work. Out of the blue, he suddenly felt the need to address the silence. “Mikasa, I hope you won’t let what happened yesterday to bother you too much that it affects your focus on our team. You need to learn in letting go of Eren sometime. He needs his own space to grow. He won’t be able to learn if he never makes any mistakes because you are always there to make sure he doesn’t make one...”

 

“Seriously? We are doing this again?! God, Reiner. You can play Eren’s ‘Big Brother’ but not mine. Just drop it.” Mikasa retaliated abruptly, she noticed that her leader had no understanding of the word ‘boundary’.

 

Reiner held back on his irritation. ‘Trust me, doll. I would not be having perverted thoughts about you if I am playing the role of a Big Brother here’.

 

“What would you even know about letting go, then?” Without a doubt, there was a challenge in the tone of her voice.

 

“Believe me, we do.” There was a pause as he caught Bertolt’s eyes in a silent understanding. “It was hard leaving behind people we care about but if parting ways meant a greater good for both sides involved, wouldn’t that be the best course of action?”

 

Mikasa went still and the two young men just continued sipping on the hot coffee inside their tin mugs, eyes never leaving her solemn face. Her hands instantaneously reached up towards the crimson scarf looped loosely around her neck, pulling it up to cover the lower half of her face; a soothing mechanism she had subconsciously adopted whenever she felt insecure. “All I ever wanted was just to be by his side. To know that no matter what, he will always need me to be there right next to him. He’s the only family I have left.”

 

“Don’t you think of anything else in life besides Eren? Who is Mikasa Ackerman besides being Eren Yeager’s sister, really?”

 

Her lips and eyes widened in shock. “Why do you even care about who I am, Reiner?”

 

“It hurts to know that there are other people who grew to care about you, doesn’t it? It bruises your pride to be taken care of once in awhile instead of you, taking care of others? We’re your teammates, give us a bit of credit. Rely on us for once.”

 

“You can’t force me if I don’t want to.”

 

“Damn you, Mikasa!”

 

“Screw you, Reiner!”

 

Bertolt chimed in, nervously, “G-guys! Th-this should be off the record right?”

 

“YES!!” Both of them agreed unanimously.

 

Mikasa squinted her eyes at Reiner and bitterly said, “However, you could note that your team leader is an asshole who puts his nose in things that are not his business to start with!”

 

“Bertl, try writing that Ackerman here is an immature, one-track minded, stubborn girl who is too proud to accept that she’s not perfect. And also, disrespectful to the team leader.”

 

Her glare intensified at the blonde-haired cadet but nevertheless, she stood up and turned around in the opposite direction. “I’m out of here.”

 

“Don’t walk away, Mikasa.”

 

“I never realized that I need your permission to pee, “Team Leader’?” With a huff, she left and headed into the darker parts of the woods west of their campsite.

 

Bertolt’s jaw hung open in surprise upon the turn of events that just took place in front of him. “Reiner, what just happened? Why did you start a fight with Mikasa?”

 

“Please don’t tell me her shitty attitude doesn’t bother you? She’s even more insufferable than Annie.”

 

“You can’t blame her after what happened with Eren yesterday.”

 

“There’s more to her life than just Eren. Why can’t she get it through her thick head and ego?”

 

Bertolt lowered his voice. “I think you’re taking this ‘overprotective Big Brother’ role too seriously.”

 

“Like hell, if I am seeing her as a ‘sister’ I need to protect!”

 

“And also, seems to me, it sounds like you’re a bit jealous of Eren,” the sentence drawled out of Bertolt’s mouth in an afterthought, to which Reiner had no response to that himself because a part of him couldn’t deny the truth behind his best friend’s words.

 

Bertolt continued offering his opinion. “It must have been nice to have someone who cares so fiercely about you the way she does with Eren.”

 

They both returned to their own respective tasks in silence, mutually agreeing to stop broaching the subject before it got deeper. However, after quite some time, there was still no sign of Mikasa’s return. Reiner stood up, brushed off the lightly damp leaves plastered on his pants and said, “I’ll just check on her and see if she’s alright.”

 

Bertolt watched as Reiner walked away with concern. ‘Just be more patient with her, Reiner. She’s a broken one, just like us.’

 

In the dark of the night with only a lantern to guide him, Reiner walked quite a distance amongst the lush canopy of trees. His eyes scanned his surroundings every time he heard the rustle of leaves or curious noises from the nocturnal animals. His steps came to a halt when he spotted the unmistakable figure of a young woman. From where he was standing, his vision lingered on Mikasa’s slightly bowed body sitting on the edge of the riverbank, legs folded and her face buried against her knees. Underneath the moonlight, he couldn’t help but envision her as an angel with a pair of broken wings; yearning to return home somewhere amongst the stars.

 

They were the same. They both wanted to go back to where they came from. Back before all this ‘hell’ happened. His heartbeat increased rapidly as he slowly made his way to settle beside her. Sitting down to her right with a knee up, his larger build was a stark contrast next to her smaller one.

 

“I’m sorry. For being a jerk just now.”

 

It took a while for her to lift her head up and respond. Her voice cracked in a low whisper, “I’m sorry too. For being a bitch to you.”

 

“I shouldn’t have meddled in things that I have no business with. I just wanted to get to know you better.”

 

“So you can identify my weaknesses and use it against me?”

 

“Goddammit, woman. Must everything be a competition with you?”

 

“Sorry. I don’t know how to describe what I’m feeling right now. It just feels lonelier without Eren. I guess it hurts a little bit when I saw that he’s actually fine without me or in a way, he doesn’t need me as much anymore. Maybe it’s just the inner monster inside of me that’s instigating all these uneasy feelings.” Her steely orbs projected the sorrow brewing inside her when she looked up towards him.

 

“We all have a monster sleeping deep inside our heads. Waiting to be awakened by desperation, longing, jealousy and perhaps, loneliness. Sometimes, you need to let that monster out in order for you to live normally. Only certain people would be able to witness your inner monster and still love you just the same.” There was, without a doubt a solemn glint in his eyes as well when the words flowed out of his mouth.

 

“Only Eren has ever witnessed the worst and lowest moment in my life. His family gave me a home and he gave me hope to keep on living the day I lost everything. That’s why my life has been all about protecting him.”

 

“I understand that feeling…,” Reiner stopped himself before Mikasa caught on and changed the direction of their conversation at once. “How about yourself? Who’s taking care of you when you’re busy taking care of others?”

 

“Reiner, stop. Why are you doing this-thing you’re doing?”

 

“Like, genuinely caring about you? Why is it so hard for you to accept that?”

 

“You didn’t see me-I mean I didn’t see you bond with Thomas who was our team lead like this, the last time we were sent for outside training. Besides, we never talked much to each other. You don’t know me well enough,” uttered Mikasa in uncertainty. Her slender fingers grabbed her crimson scarf slowly to cover the lower half of her face. She was nervous for no apparent reason and she couldn’t find the answer why.

 

His hazel eyes glinted underneath the moonlight. The corners of his mouth lifted into a playful smile. “Obviously, Ackerman, I don’t find Thomas _that_ attractive.” There was a slight paused as he let out a deep chuckle, a sound which Mikasa had grown accustomed to for the last few days. “I know that beneath the mask you put on every day, is a gentle but lonely soul who deserves more love than anyone else. We’re the same; you and I, Mikasa. I really like to get to know you. Inside...” His face inched closer and closer to hers, “.....and out.”

 

Like magnets, his lips pulled to hers in a slow, languid kiss. His thin lips nudged open hers teasingly, stealing her breath away. Mikasa was in a helpless daze, her guards lowered, eyes closed and she surrendered to his spell, involuntarily. His right hand tilted her chin, his thumb brushing against her defined jawline, immersing himself in the taste of mint leaves and the very soft scent of wild lilies from the girl he was kissing.

 

Her hands trembled as they latched onto his broad shoulders while Reiner took the hint and deepened the kiss. In that particular moment, there were nothing else but the moon, the calm chirping of the crickets, the smooth evening breeze and the peaceful streaming of the river in the twilight blue as their silent witness.

 

Lips nipping, breaths mingling, they both withdrew to catch their breaths after a few more seconds. The moonlight cast a mystifying luminescence on her porcelain face, pulling him even deeper into a sensual abyss. Reiner’s voice was a provocative whisper against her luscious lips. “God, Mikasa, you’re so beautiful. I’ll be damned if this is your first kiss.” He rested his forehead against hers, both of them heaving for the breaths they lost, heartbeats thundering in their ribcages. Who knew a simple lip touching would be as thrilling as running a few laps on the tracks?

 

“...First kiss…,” trailed Mikasa in the aftermath of the lip-locking, still in a trance. How many times had she envisioned her first kiss? None that she could ever remember, not when she was so busy trying to survive in this hellish world. In another world, it would have been perfect; under the moonlight, by the riverside and with none other than the only person she’d wanted to spend the rest of her lifetime with ever since the day he came into her life. ‘Eren…’

 

However, when she opened her eyes, it was not the emerald green she had been yearning for but a pair of intense amber irises looking back at her with the same degree of longing. She stood up hurriedly, intending to walk away only for her forearm to be caught in Reiner’s tight grip. “I’m sorry, Mikasa. I didn’t mean to-”

 

She cried out with bitterness, “Reiner, please let me go. I can't-do this. My heart has no more space to care about other people.” She stormed off as quickly as her legs could take her, wanting to push away the gnawing emotions inside her heart. She loved Eren, but she knew Eren wouldn’t be able to comprehend her feelings for him as something potentially beyond family relation. Her heart ached. She couldn’t possibly open her heart to care for others the way she did with Eren and Armin. The more people she cared about, the more it would hurt her when they left.

 

Was she that lonely to have been caught in the moment with Reiner?

 

Was he that lonely to have been caught in the moment with Mikasa?

 

Reiner looked up towards the dark blue canvas of the night sky, sighing at his own impropriety. “You can’t or you won’t, Mikasa?.....”

 

The question was left unanswered in the cold night air and he laid back on the ground, silently hoping the stars would shed some light to soothe his internal chaos.

  

XoXoX

 

The next day, Mikasa was the first to be awakened right before sunrise. She didn’t even realize that she had fallen asleep at all the previous night. She did, however, remember avoiding Bertolt’s questioning glance when she came back from the riverside and all the time while she retreated into her sleeping bag with her face buried in her scarf wordlessly. She tried to forget the feel and the taste of Reiner’s persistent lips. She wanted to dream of emerald greens but a pair of sad amber eyes was all she could remember before sleep took over.

 

It was day 5 of their survival drill and it had been two days since she crossed path with Eren. She managed to avoid Reiner’s gaze for the rest of the journey and it seemed like he had the same notion as she did. Bertolt, who had always been the more quiet one in the team apparently became the chattiest person that day.

 

It was best if they stayed as far away and communicated as little as possible with each other.

 

However, only a few hours in the afternoon, an unpredictable downpour threw a wrench into their plans to push ahead into the next terrain, much to Mikasa’s chagrin. This delay, combined with the inexplicable tension between her and Reiner since the starting of their journey (which was amplified after the ‘incident’ last night) had caused her to snap at poor Bertolt. The tallest boy in their team had walked onto her back by accident and she elbowed his ribs by reflex right after letting out a loud, irritated wail. Poor Bertolt was traumatized for the rest of their journey to the next available pit stop; a small clearing at the foot of a hill. He was also caught in the unpleasant silence between his best friend and his female teammate for reasons he was unaware of, unfortunately.

 

Later that night, the rain picked up its pace. Thunders struck and echoed in the night sky, one after another. They had no choice but to abandon the fire pit and reinforce their tent under the heavy torrent from above.

 

Bertolt sprinted into the tent to spark a fire for their lanterns using his stone and flint. He managed to concentrate on the ignition well enough before his focus was broken by the sounds of high strung voices coming from outside. Even with the deafening roar of the heavy rain, he was still able to make out the angry words exchanged between his two teammates.

 

“Stop with all of this bullshit, Mikasa! We’re a team and if it means we have to huddle together in the tent like a bunch of hobos just so we could stay warm, that’s exactly what we’ll do!” Reiner’s voice took on a venomous tone as he glared at the raven-haired girl, who refused to budge from the already dead fire pit.

 

“I refuse. Being stuck in a tent with you won’t even be the last thing I would do.” She didn’t spare a single glance at him. She needed to put a distance between them.

 

“I am not going to let you die because of hypothermia, Ackerman. Get in here!” Reiner made a surprise lunge towards the unsuspecting younger girl and saddled her like a sack of rice on his shoulder as he walked towards the entrance of the tent with Mikasa literally hissing and legs thrashing about in annoyance. He unceremoniously dumped her bottom first onto the floor of the tent. Angry raindrops snuck into the opening as Reiner quickly took off his boots to get inside the standard military tent, almost running over her in the process. All three of them, especially him and Mikasa were practically drenched in rainwater.

 

Reiner gritted his teeth in annoyance as his slightly bent form found a dry, comfortable spot inside the tent. His hands rummaged through a backpack, probably his, and found a small white towel to dry himself. Legs crossed, his hands quickly went to work by wiping excess water away from his face and neck. “Great. It’s almost flooded in here and all because of Ms. Deadweight here-yes, deadweight since that’s what you’ve turned into after we came across Eren’s team 2 days ago - decided to wallow in self-pity by sitting in the rain. Look, Ackerman, I don’t give a shit about what you want to do with yourself but if it involves you turning into a dead body, it’ll be me and Bertl’s head on the line.”

 

“I’m fine. Mind your own business, Braun.”

 

“Fuck this shitty attitude of yours up your ass, Ackerman. You’re just grumpy that you’re stuck with us instead of your precious Eren and Armin. Well, guess what? The feeling’s mutual. We’d rather get stuck with Annie than a pain in a butt like you. You might be the strongest but don’t ever think you could look down on the rest of us from your pedestal.”

 

She snapped back in response, “Oh, I’m pretty sure you’re the one who likes things shoved up your ass instead, Reiner.”

 

Bertolt was getting more anxious as tempers flared due to the already maxed out stress between his two teammates. “G-guys, p-please calm d-down,” his voice came out like a slow whimper instead. The tent might be big enough to shelter three people but apparently not wide enough to accommodate the ego of these two bull-headed cadets. It was a matter of time before the tent metaphorically exploded once these two started to get at each other’s throat.

 

They’re both too headstrong, too dominant in their personalities that even the slightest jeer could trigger a fire in their interaction. This puzzled Bertolt tremendously since Mikasa was anything but temperamental as witnessed during their previous surveillance training when they helped save Eren and Marco’s team from a band of black market thieves. She was the epitome of zen and calmness, so very different from the girl sitting in front of him right now.

 

Reiner’s spiteful words broke Bertolt out of his musings. “You might look beautiful from the outside but deep inside you’re a horrible **monster**. No wonder Eren got so sick of you. I bet he’s so relieved to be without you and that he and Annie are screwing each other’s brains out right now.”

 

“Reiner!!” Both Mikasa and Bertolt retorted in shock at the same time. Their eyes widened. Mikasa’s were in anger while Bertolt’s were in confusion. The latter’s face cringed at his longtime friend’s words. “Rei-reiner, you don’t have t-to be so mean to Mikas-sa.”

 

Reiner sighed as he wiped away most of the water droplets from his drenched blonde hair. “Face it, Bertl. We got stuck with Miss Boring-and-Rigid here while the other guys get the more fun and cuter girls like Krista or Potato Girl. Hell, I bet Ymir is more fun.”

 

He continued, “This is about last night, isn’t it? Why do you need to shut everyone else who are not Eren and Armin out from here?” His right hand shot up to tap the area further up of her left breast.

 

Bertolt scratched the top of his head and tried to calm the two brewing storms inside that very tent but could only sweat profusely instead. ‘What exactly happened last night between them?’. His fearful eyes glanced back and forth between Reiner and Mikasa, feeling imposed to be the referee of a potential deathmatch.

 

There was, however, something inside Mikasa that broke into two as she started to see everything through rose-tinted glass upon hearing the painful words that came out from the taller blonde’s mouth. She was not oblivious to the words exchanged amongst the other cadets; that she was a stoic, unsympathetic Ice Queen that didn’t give a shit about others except for her childhood friends. Her fellow cadets whispered as she passed by them in the mess hall, during drills, and during duties. She might have appeared unaffected but she had a porcelain mask plastered as a facade to hide the vortex of sacred emotions inside her. After all this while, the people who labeled her as ‘The Beast’ like they own the right to judge her, forced her to hide her human part inside a locked box.

 

Until last night.

 

She was so used to distancing herself from the others before they shun her first, so it would hurt lesser when they do. Somehow, there was a man who wanted to come closer, knowing perfectly well he might get burnt along the way yet, still persistently trying to tear down the walls guarding her heart.

 

She could feel her porcelain mask cracking into a million tiny pieces, her heartbeat escalated just like every time she was almost pushed to the brink of ruin, her instinct compelled her to do one thing: Fight.

 

On bended knees, she peeled the drenched brown jacket off from her body slowly, then tossed it to a corner, followed by the leather straps of her currently non-existent 3D Maneuver Gear, as if preparing herself to strike akin to a wounded prey’s survival attempt in front of a vile predator. The only source of lighting that came from the lanterns illuminated her powerful figure. Her soaked white button-up shirt clung tightly to her frame, curves desperately straining against the now see-through material. All while never taking her gunmetal eyes off from Reiner’s muscular form in front of her, causing a breath to hitch in his throat; he had an inkling he might have gone too far with their altercation. If Mikasa’s dirty looks were any indication, he somewhat expected to be thrown out of the tent into the heavy downpour. Soon.

 

She had respect for Reiner. She accepted his leadership, albeit reluctantly at the beginning. She just refused to accept the way he blatantly implied that Eren would be so dishonorable. Although she knew she was powerless to control who Eren bonded with, hell even attracted to but to hear the painful truth from someone else, it actually really hurt. It bruised her ego to admit that he was right.

 

She had never harbored any ill intentions towards anyone in her whole entire life but at that very moment in time, all she could think about was how badly she wanted to slice his neck the way she would to a Titan. Oh, she was in denial indeed. She desperately tried to justify her desire of wanting someone other than Eren by using her anger. She liked the kiss she shared with Reiner but she hated the fact that she loved it.

 

Her inner beast was clawing inside its cage, demanding to be released that very instance. It was ravenous for blood and blood was what it would get. Fuck everyone and fuck their opinions.

 

Reiner’s hazel eyes widened in surprise when Mikasa charged at him with her survival knife brandished from her back strap. He held his left hand up in reflex as a defense to protect his nape and gritted his teeth when the piece of cold steel sliced his skin, drawing a vertical line on his muscled forearm. Her left hand seized the back of his head in a solid grip. _‘Shit. That was close. This girl would definitely be the end of me one day’._ Reiner shuddered and exhaled the breaths he had been holding. He knew no matter what the circumstances might be, he would never transform and compromise their cover or jeopardize their **mission**.

 

Now with Mikasa practically straddling his lap and only a mere distance between their faces, he saw how the water droplets from her drenched hair slowly slid all the way down her face until they dropped into the crevice between her porcelain skin. That delicious bit of skin underneath her slightly undone white top. Her breasts heaved against his chest with uncontained anger, a wild rage brewing like a molten fire spilling through the edges of her bruised heart.

 

Her gunmetal eyes were clouded with something in between desire and hatred as she pulled his head closer to hers. “You asked for this, Reiner….I’ll show you what kind of a monster I am,” her voice was low like a growl, tinged with a sultry drawl before her tongue lick the blood that was starting to seep through the knife wound, transforming the cautionary gleam in Reiner’s eyes to the ones of lust.

 

He gave a predatory grin in return as his right hand snuck underneath her soaked bodice. His warm fingers burnt against her shivering soft skin. “Good. Because mine had been aching to fuck yours, hard, since that day you threw me across the training yard, Mi-ka-sa.” The way his lips played with the syllables of her name so languidly, triggered the first burst of stimulation inside her brain.

 

 _Damn._ All logic in Mikasa’s head exploded. Maybe because it was the way he said her name, or the way his chest rumbled against her when he said it or maybe because the way he shamelessly pronounced out loud of the wicked thing he had been wanting to implore on her virginal body or plainly in the way a simple touch of his skin against hers sent an electric jolt all the way down under. Never did she know that her own body could throb in places she wasn’t even aware of.

 

That particular instance, she threw caution to the wind and her lips crushed against his in a desperate, searing kiss. Her anger, her frustration were combined and channeled into the kiss but it was Reiner who bit and sucked on her lips before their tongues clashed in a battle for dominance. Tonight, they both knew they were not going to hold back.

 

Bertolt, who was the ever silent observer from the beginning, eventually put the messed up pieces of the whole situation together: Reiner and Mikasa had been fighting off a different kind of tension from the very beginning of their journey. It wasn’t professional rivalry as soldiers, it was personal. Physical. Both of them had never found themselves in this predicament. Their sexual attraction was mistaken as contempt towards each other. How could he had not realized this much sooner?

 

Oh wait, well, he did catch Reiner sneaking subtle glances towards Mikasa one or two times during training sessions before but he always disregarded it as Reiner, sizing up his top competitor for the ranks. There was also that time during their last wilderness survival training in the desert. Reiner’s eyes were often glued to her back with a questionable grin on his face. Bertolt thought he was planning to pull a prank on Mikasa but apparently, that wasn’t the case. No doubt Reiner had been fantasizing about dominating the top of their class in a much different way.

 

He personally thought that Mikasa was actually a pretty girl who’d have a cute smile when Reiner might seem indifferent towards her. Hell, he always thought that the soft-spoken, timid Krista would be more of Reiner’s type instead of the quiet, exotic beauty who was currently making out with his best friend.

 

By this time, Reiner had already pushed Mikasa off of him towards the tent floor all while their lips were still locked to each other. Breaths mingled in between, her minty taste a delicious contrast against the aftertaste that lingered from the coffee he drank much earlier. The knife was long forgotten and her hands clutched tightly around the nape of his neck, while his hands moved shakily to the small button at the bottom of her white oxford shirt. The edges of her crimson scarf scattered in different directions. His lips paused as he whispered against her pink, swollen lips and said, “I want you, Mikasa. So damn much.” He sucked on her upper lip and they continued kissing. His fingers undid the buttons all the way up her body nervously, exposing her toned abdomen and her busty chest wrapped in a black brassiere. Her nimble hands roamed under his dark green shirt, pawing at the muscles of his own ripped torso while slowly lifting the fabric up over his head, tossing it carelessly behind him.

 

His eyes trailed over the smooth expanse of her exposed skin, hands caressing her long, slender legs clad in her tight white pants. From the sculptured muscles of her abdomen to those ample mounds on her chest, she was exquisite indeed. For a girl who had just turned fifteen, she had the physique of an irresistible young woman.

 

He took the time to appreciate the curves of her body, which only accentuated her beauty even more. The bruises on her shoulders from prolonged usage of the 3DMG’s leather harnesses only served as a reminder that they were both humans who would bruise, would ache and comfort was what they both needed at that moment. A chance to feel alive by losing control of their reality, a chance to be less lonely: even if it was only for a night. In that very moment, they were not soldiers, but only a boy and a girl. It was just him and her and nobody else.

 

He nipped around her navel, kissing and licking his way up her torso to the hollow part of her brassiere. Her skin glistened with rainwater, her natural scent tinged with a hint of lilies. For each stroke of his tongue, his senses were teased by her heightened arousal as proven by the increasing loudness of her moans. He palmed her breasts and smiled between kisses when he felt the hardening nub of her nipples through the fabric. Mikasa let out a mewl as she felt his large hands kneaded her sensitive flesh and she mirrored his movements on his skin. Her soft yet slightly callused hands traced invisible lines on his impressive pectoral muscles, his warmth a contrast against her coldness; inside and out. At the same time, he helped peel the shirt off her body and slipped his digits underneath the black fabric. His large hands molded around her generous breasts, like a perfect fit. The roughened surface on his palms a tantalizing friction against her soft flesh. Mikasa’s eyes closed in bliss upon the contact yet feeling slightly conflicted of letting a man touching her so intimately for the first time in her life.

 

Sensing her sudden stillness, Reiner voiced out his concern, “Mikasa, has anyone ever-?” To which she responded with a shook of her head and the reddening of her cheeks.

 

“Do you want me to stop?”

 

“No. I’ll fucking kill you if you do.” Her eyes were already darkened with a wanton, primal need.

 

A deep laughter rumbled from his chest. “Not planning to but if it gets too much, you should let me know.” His hands continued kneading her soft flesh before lifting the black fabric up to expose a pair of rosy nipples, ripe for his taking. He licked his lips in anticipation before he grabbed her right breast and took its pink nub into his warm mouth, licking, and sucking on the puckered nipple while he pinched and rolled the other one with his right fingers.

 

His aggression, however, was a contradiction to his earlier concern as his dominant hand traveled down from her left breast all the way down south. His long fingers slipped inside the waistband of her white pants and smoothly glided through the elastic of her panties, cupping her mound. A finger slid between her folds hidden under a nest of curls, deriving pleasure upon finding warm liquid already dripping from her core. Reiner had planned out exactly where he would put his mouth next.

 

Bertolt, who had been trying to make a quick exit before their heated tenacity escalated, directed his gaze towards the roof of the tent. He was desperately trying to avoid looking at his two teammates who were almost completely stripped bare and already engaged in intense foreplay.

 

He knew where this was going.

 

Reiner and Mikasa had it bad for each other.

 

Now, feeling less like a referee in a deathmatch and more of a third wheel in an ancient mating ritual, he pleaded to no avail. “Uhmm...G-guys. I’m still here. I could leave you guys to it b-but I don’t think I can stay long in the rain.”

 

He received nothing but only moans and grunts in response.

 

“Okay, I guess I can wait outside for a while then.” Bertolt stretched his legs out towards the opening of the tent with his hooded cloak ready while carefully avoiding the half-naked Mikasa, sprawled on the tent floor.

 

“Bertolt?” Mikasa sat up and caught a glimpse of him, her back facing his direction just enough to preserve her modesty. Her face flushed with arousal yet slightly marred by guilt, possibly for causing discomfort to their other teammate. She turned her neck up towards his direction, lips quivering with some unspoken words. He could see the top of Reiner’s blonde head, moving up from her breasts before lifting up towards his direction as well.

 

“Don’t worry, Bertl. Mikasa’s strong enough to take us both at the same time, if you know what I mean,” said Reiner, licking his lips before he continued raining kisses and nips on her neck. Mikasa was too immersed in the sensation of his warm lips to even register the implication of his words.

 

Bertolt couldn’t help but laughed. Reiner always had a good sense of humor regardless of his timing. “No, you both could use some privacy to work things out. Be selfish for once, Reiner and have fun.” He smiled at his best friend just before he disappeared into the dark night, under the pouring rain.

  

XoXoX

 

A large tall figure slowly approached the already darkened tent, alerting Reiner of a new presence nearby. True enough, he could make out the outline of Bertolt’s head as his friend peeped into the canvas’ opening. In a hushed voice, Bertolt asked into the darkness, “Are you guys decent?”

 

Reiner exhaled in relief, “Yeah, Bertl. Just enough.” He looked down towards the sleeping and very much naked young girl on his chest. Her long, slender legs entwined with his own underneath the blanket big enough for her decency. He guessed it had been quite awhile since both of them had fallen asleep since the scent of sex and sweat had dissipated into the night air.

 

Bertolt cheekily nudged Reiner’s legs, not wanting to let an opportunity to grill his best friend for details to ever go to waste. “I guess, It was a very successful ‘discussion’ between you two?”

 

Reiner grinned as he tightened his embrace on Mikasa’s sleeping form. He didn’t need to see the inquisitive smile on Bertolt’s face in the darkness. “You have no idea how mutually satisfying the outcome was, brother. Sorry, you had to ditch the tent for quite some time.” The tips of his fingers stroked and squeezed endearingly against pale skin, causing the raven-haired girl to nestle closer into the crook of his neck while still in a tranquil slumber. Her warm breaths played a peaceful rhythm against his neck.

 

“Nah, I had a nice walk in the rain. It was a full moon tonight and Mikasa would’ve loved it but I guess she wouldn’t miss it that much.”

 

“I’ll be insulted if she would.”

 

“So, you guys are like together now?”

 

“Who knows? We’ll see. Heh, go to sleep, bud,” Reiner tried to shift and make space for his best friend inside the tent but Bertolt was very quick to protest.

 

"I have my sleeping bag outside. I don't think Mikasa would appreciate it when she wakes up with my face next to hers," said Bertolt, sheepishly while scratching the back of his neck. "See you both in the morning."

 

Reiner nodded and laid his head back on the floor. He nuzzled the top of Mikasa's hair, inhaling her natural scent before drifting off to his sleep once again. It'd be a few more hours before the sun rises and whatever the morning after might bring, he would be prepared for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The smut is coming in the next chapter. Thank you for reading!


	2. Shut Your Mouth and Run Me Like A River

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His dormant Warrior had finally met his match in her inner Beast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Firstly, thank you to my precious 3 commenters; anonymous (Thank you for your kind encouragement!), Quietcelt (especially for your awesome headcanons on these two on Tumblr) & Amethystaa (I love your ideas! It’s like you can read my mind ;D) for motivating me to keep on writing this story & encouraging me to not giving up on my rare pair no matter how lonely the ship gets ;) For you my silent readers, thank you for reading.
> 
> I decided to spread out to two more chapters instead of one, so it would be easier on a reader’s eyes and this chapter will be the second last because I really want to include a post-mission aftermath. I would also like to include one more session of smut in the next chapter, on top of exploring the possibility of Eren discovering what happened during that one-week training session.
> 
> Also, an interesting piece to be shared, when I started shipping Reiner and Mikasa together, it was all based on their physical compatibilities and their “opposites attract” personalities. I just recently discovered that, turns out their zodiacs are really compatible with each other all along. “Astrology-zodiac-signs.com” actually rated Reiner’s Leo and Mikasa’s Aquarius a 99% on sexual & intimacy compatibility. That is like woah. Even the stars are aligned for these two and it helped my muse a lot for this ReiKasa story. Link can be found below.
> 
> The song inspiration when I was working on the shameless smut in this chapter would be **River by Bishop Briggs**. Best read with the song playing at the same time ;) 
> 
> A bit of a warning though, this chapter opens with a pretty graphic smut. Enjoy!

**Reiner & Mikasa's Zodiac Compatibility:** [Read here](http://www.astrology-zodiac-signs.com/compatibility/aquarius-leo/)

 

 **Chapter's Song inspiration:**  [Bishop Briggs - River](https://open.spotify.com/track/606HVBE1aPA81oGg5JMa4M)

XoXoX

 

The next morning, as always, Mikasa was the first to be wide awake slightly before the break of dawn. Slowly, she sat up and untangled herself from Reiner’s firm hold, fighting a blush from creeping up her cheeks when his muscular body was on full display. Even in the darkness, she could still envision the exact contours of his chiseled anatomy all wrapped up in a layer of warm skin. The enticing view freshly emblazoned in her mind conjured up steamy, heavy memories from the previous night.

 

_The temperature inside the tent spiked up exponentially due to the warmth emanated from their bodies. As soon as Bertolt’s figure went out of their sight, Reiner wasted no time in continuing where his lips left off earlier. This time much bolder than he was before._

_Mikasa gasped when his skillful hands undid the sole button on her slacks, unzipping it with ease, pulling it along the length of her legs and cast it to a random space behind him. The unwanted fabric bounced against the wall of the tent, landing shamefully on the floor. He kissed the inside of her thighs, nibbling her skin in an uneven pattern while moving painstakingly slow towards her mound, clad in the only fabric left on her body apart from the crimson scarf around her neck. The amber of his eyes held her down with an invisible force, yielding her body into absolute submission._        

**How do we fall in love?**  
**Harder than a bullet could hit you?**  
**How do we fall apart?**  
**Faster than a hairpin trigger.**

 

_She always had control of her own physique ever since she awakened the mysterious power inside her blood when she was a naive, innocent nine-year-old child. That awakening saved her from a path of prostitution and torture, six years ago. Yet, here she was, legs spread, succumbing herself to a man’s touch in an intimate nature for the very first time._

_Her own conscience jeered at the irony._

_No, this was different. She had the power to choose when, how and who she would give her body to. She would be fooling no one but herself if she kept on denying the physical attraction between her and her current team leader. Her first kiss the night before had only confirmed that he felt as strongly as she did. The magnetic pull was undeniably different from the affection she had been saving for Eren all these years. She touched Eren so many times before (sadly, in a familial manner) yet it only took one touch of Reiner’s lips to awaken a new hunger inside her._

_What she didn’t know yet, she was apparently triggering the exact same awakening in him._

_She grabbed one of Reiner’s biceps in reflex as soon as she realized what he was planning to do. “I don’t think it’s-....,” she took in a deep breath before voicing out her insecurity. “I’m not sure I’m clean enough down there. Isn’t it disgusting?” She bit her lower lips unsurely, her round eyes glimmered with concern._

_He hushed her in response, a reassuring smile on his devilishly handsome face. “If it is, Mikasa, do you think I would I be doing this?”_

_Her breaths dragged out heavily in small puffs the moment she saw his nimble fingers pushed aside the center of her undergarment and arched her back in reflex when she felt his lips against the core of her womanhood. The kissing and sucking motions, combined with the grunts he produced from his throat induced a strange tingling sensation, which only pushed her body to produce more wetness where his lips were doing a terrific job in driving her into oblivion._

_His tongue tried to snake its way into her tight core, licking each drop of her body’s natural lubricant like he was suffering an insatiable thirst. His own member grew harder inside the constricting material of his pants as it was his body’s biological response to her taste, her scent, and her seductive whimpers. His own body was getting eager to get his fill yet he knew she wasn’t as ready._

 

  **Don't you say, don't you say it**  
**Don't say, don't you say it**  
**One breath, it'll just break it  
****So shut your mouth and run me like a river**

   

_He adjusted his position so he was now sitting on the heels of his foot and gently scooped her derriere with both hands before pulling her whole body towards his direction until most of her back was resting on the comforts of his solid thighs. He placed her knees on his firm shoulders and pressed her thighs closer till they were snug against his chest, leaving her head and shoulder blades on the tent floor. Meanwhile, their lower regions ground dangerously against each other, separated only by two layers of fabrics._

_Mikasa gave him a smoldering look, concealing a curiosity within upon feeling the hardness against her bottom. She was absolutely clued into the male’s biological build, all courtesy of Major Zoe’s lecture on reproduction two years ago, but to actually feel his erection against her, it was definitely electrifying._

_He nipped the tender flesh of her milky-white thighs, the reddish marks left by his hard kisses were like the beginning of his private collection stored on the more intimate parts of her body. On parts that would always be hidden inside her military uniforms. Although, he definitely wouldn’t deny a tiny sliver of pride in his chest upon imagining; what if any of the other boys in the 104th ever found out that he had been the first to explore every inch of skin belonging to the most beautiful, strong girl in their batch? Mikasa Ackerman was not an unattainable Ice Queen who’d only deserved to be just a subject of teenage boys’ wet dreams and fantasies. She deserved to be worshipped by an equally powerful man, worthy of her strength._

_Reiner Braun somehow knew he could be just that man._

_He delicately hooked his fingers on the elastic of her panties, already soaked with her love juice and slowly pulled the fabric along her thighs and legs teasingly, getting even more turned on when he caught a whiff of the strong scent of her arousal once it was exposed to open air. He threw the undergarment away and her blood red scarf was next to go, much to her protest._

_“Mikasa, I know how much it means to you but I still care about Eren enough not to disrespect him more than I already did right now. I’m about to sex his sister up and I am not going to do it while you’re wearing this scarf.” He was very aware of the significance of her scarf from Eren himself and Reiner really wouldn’t want to fuck Mikasa with Eren’s metaphorical hold around her neck._

_She was very apprehensive about being apart from the scarf but he reassured her by folding the crimson piece of linen into a neat square and carefully placing it underneath her head. Out of his sight but close enough for her comfort._

_His large build bent over her, stealing a few more kisses from her lips. Traces of her own taste lingered on his lips. She was completely naked and vulnerable, yet she was every bit the brave young woman he had gotten to know even more up close and personal since they began their current training inset._

_Piercing amber irises locked into those mesmerizing steel grey eyes of hers with the same fervor. “Let me take care of you. Whatever you’d like, I will do but I need you to trust me and let everything go, Mikasa. Stop worrying about Eren and Armin just for tonight. ”_

_The disheveled, exotic beauty grunted in between her breaths as she grabbed the top of his blonde hair and press his face downwards to her drenched core. “Rei-ner, you talk too much. Less talking, more touching.”_

_He was more than happy to oblige to her command and continued his ongoing conquest._   

 

**Shut your mouth, baby, stand and deliver**  
**Holy hands, oh, they make me a sinner**  
**Like a river, like a river**  
**Shut your mouth and run me like a river**

 

_Her moans and whimpers grew exponentially loud with each delicate licks and kisses. He smirked in triumph. She had undoubtedly signed herself off to to the devil tonight._

_Mikasa, on the other hand, couldn’t help but admire the view of his head in between the apex of her thighs from where she was lying all the way down and bit her lips in delirium as the flat of his hot, wet tongue glided across her slit in a steady rhythm. He pressed his body forward, fluidly pushing her legs inward as they stretched out in a straight line, his hands supporting her thighs as they hung in midair and her body bent at a forty-five degrees angle. They were no strangers to flexible midair maneuvering but being held down like this, trusting her body weight 100 percent on his support was a liberating moment. His left forearm wrapped around her shin and the flat of his large right palm pressed down on her torso to keep his balance as he kept on eating her out._

_The unique position he held her in amplified the pleasure she was experiencing, even more so while he was watching her face the whole entire time his mouth was ravaging her womanhood. Her body was out of her control, a disheveled mess, panting in ecstasy as she experienced the continuous onslaught of his sinful lips._

_By the grace of Wall Maria, how did Reiner even know how far her body could bend or twist, she couldn’t even begin to wonder._

_She was the top of their class, she was way above everyone else, above him as a soldier but the way he held her down with only his gaze while that wicked, wicked mouth of his latched onto her most secret place, made her feel inferior to their second best. She could beat him in melee combat but in this different body-to-body type of contact, he bested her by a mile high._

_He went to a place, her most guarded place, that even she wouldn’t dare to explore on her own._

_Her admiration for this man just multiplied sky-high._

_Her heartbeat thundered in her ears like a bunch of fireworks when that incredible mouth of his (which initially to her, had a tendency to be tad annoying at times but she retracted her earlier sentiment because this boy had definitely changed her mind when he’s using his lips for non-verbal purposes) dedicated more pressure on his kisses. There was a slight pause when he took the time to admire her glistening pink folds up close, the first he’d ever seen, swollen in arousal due to his doing, slowly unraveling a small bundle of nerves hidden like a secret treasure and he was the unexpecting explorer who ventured into uncharted territory. She tasted surprisingly sweet and slightly tangy like freshly-brewed honey mead and oh, he could absolutely eat her up all night long._

_He’d heard the curious talks between the boys in their dormitory about the girls in general but those were so insignificant compared to what he was doing, seeing and experiencing at that particular moment._

_“Reiner….,” she moaned passionately, fingers clutching his short, light blonde hair in ecstasy. He nibbled experimentally against the small nub, teeth grazing lightly on her nub, increasing the volume of her cries. He was getting heady of her musky scent and from that moment onwards, he knew it will forever be imprinted on his brain._

_After several more torturous seconds, he inserted one of his index fingers into her opening without a single warning, causing her toes to curl and her sweaty back to arch upwards in reflex. She would’ve lost her balance if it wasn’t for his hands securing her close to him. “Aaaaahhh….” A long drawl of cry escaped her huffing lips when his digit came out drenched in her wetness and it slid back in together with his middle finger, to which she screamed out indelicately in response. “Reiner, what did you just-oh…oh...ah” Her words slurred incoherently when his digits pumped in and out of her, her inner walls contracted with each small thrusts._

_“There you go. Atta girl.” His voice was poison as he cajoled her into absolute acceptance._

_“A little w-warning would be nice. F-fuck you, Reiner!”_

_“You will, in a minute, Mikasa.” She was very, very tight and he’d only used two of his fingers to prod through, testing her limits. His lips continued nibbling on her tender flesh, raw with need while he increased the pace of his fingers. Her body quivered as if in agony, her breasts bounced tantalizingly to her body’s carnal rhythm. With the multiple assaults on her senses, it didn’t take long for her body to erupt into an orgasmic release, her screams muffled by her own hands._

  

 

XoXoX

 

She smacked one of her cheeks in shame when she felt a long drip of moisture leaking from her core, still aching from losing her virginity only several hours before. She rummaged around in the dark for the rest of her clothes, silently cursing herself after locating each and every one of them, scattered in different locations inside the tent.

 

She quickly gathered her personal toiletries from her backpack and stood frozen at the opening of the tent when she saw Bertolt, sitting cross-legged against a wet tree trunk. He seemed to be engrossed in his reading under the dim light of his lantern. After several seconds, he looked up from the book and smiled as soon as she came into his line of vision.

 

“Good morning, Mikasa.”

 

Mikasa blinked back in surprise. “G-good morning, Bertolt.” Great. She was the one who stuttered and Bertolt has awakened just in time to witness her morning after’s walk of shame.

 

As if sensing her insecurity, Bertolt was very attentive to not cause any more discomfort to her than it already was. “I can start the fire and make some coffee for us. Reiner’s a pretty heavy sleeper especially after long hours of training or physical-draining activities.”

 

Shit. Bertolt bit his tongue as soon as he realized his blunder. “I-I mean, yeah you know-well, I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable or anything, Mikasa-”

 

“It’s alright, Bertl. I got it.” A small smile graced her blushing face, hidden underneath the folds of her dark red scarf. “Coffee sounds good. Thanks. I’m just going to go clean up.” Bertolt didn’t miss the different way she called his name.

 

She would usually try to sneak a few laps of jog or sit-ups in the mornings but the recent change of environment and schedule made her disregard her workout routines aside. She had missed several days of her fitness regime but she guessed Reiner helped her made up for her loss in just one night.

 

By the time she returned all scrubbed and freshened up, Bertolt was in the middle of filtering their beverage with a cloth coffee strainer into a medium-sized pot and had already arranged their ration bars neatly on a large makeshift stone plate. She wouldn’t divulge but her inner self couldn’t help but revel in the change of setting. She was usually the one who made sure Eren, Armin and even Sasha had enough to eat and at times, will be the last to feed just in case she needed to spare her portion for the other three.

 

For the first time after she enlisted, this was the very first moment when she allowed herself to be taken care of. Would it hurt for her to enjoy it just this one time?

 

The early ray of the sun appeared from the skyline and the chirping of early birds had begun to pick up with its melody. Both of them wallowed in the peaceful morning with comfortable silence while having their humble breakfast of the day.

 

Bertolt was a bit worried, considering he knew very well how Reiner’s mind tend to be disarrayed from time to time depending on which role he was carrying, a burden that only he and Annie had the unfortunate luck of seeing. He didn’t mean to pry but he just didn’t want Mikasa to have gotten hurt for something she was in the dark for.

 

He had to ask out of his concern for her. “Mikasa, I d-didn’t mean to intrude or anything b-but was Reiner uhmm...rough on you last n-night?”

 

“...............” She only blinked at him, her answer was only a mellow gaze in return.

 

“S-sorry. I’m just worried if he might have hurt you unintentionally in some way. Reiner tends to forget his own strength sometimes.” Bertolt’s a matter-of-fact statement couldn’t be more sugarcoated than it already was.

 

“No, Bertl. If he did, he would have lost a limb or two.” Her mouth formed a thin line. There was no need for Bertolt to worry about her. She took care of Reiner’s situation very well last night, if she might say so herself.

 

A sense of relief seemed to have washed away all of his baseless feelings. He nodded before continuing where his reading stopped.

 

Meanwhile, Mikasa noticed that the book in Bertolt’s hand looked exactly like the one Armin was reading quite a few months back and it was a perfect opportunity for her to change the direction of their conversation before it got even more tricky than it already was.

 

“Isn’t that the book about the girl who traveled to a magic land through that rabbit hole?” She asked as she popped open her bar and took a bite out of it.

 

“Yes, it definitely is. Have you read this one before, Mikasa?” He looked at her, a genuine interest in his kind brown eyes.

 

“Not really. I’d usually prefer to hear it when Armin read the story out loud to us. Just like when we were younger. But I guess we haven’t been able to spend as much time as we used to before.” She looked down at the soles of her boots, just to avoid the taller boy’s concerned look.

 

“You know, I could read it to you sometimes. One of the weekends, if you’d like. We can drag Eren and Armin along for an outdoor reading session, picnic and all.”

 

She looked up to meet his gaze and they both let out a small laugh upon having the same mental image. “That would be really nice.”

 

“You’re already making friendly dates with Mikasa without me? Bertl, you move fast, brother.” A loud voice interrupted their shared conversation and it came from none other than the third member of their team.

 

Reiner stood tall in front of the tent’s entrance, his pecs, and body on full display, clad only in his trousers. He brushed his tousled blonde hair with a swipe of his hands, unconsciously revealing a large bruise on the left side of his neck and a thin ribbon of dried blood across his pectorals.

 

Mikasa’s eyes widened in horror upon noticing the already darkening bruise and questionable cut while Bertolt tried very hard to conceal his amusement. Reiner, who was apparently still oblivious of their observation, teased the raven-haired girl by flexing his biceps and body like a typical trait of an alpha. His sun-kissed skin from hours of daily training, reflected the morning sun. “Like what you’re seeing, Mikasa?” He grinned naughtily, causing the younger girl, no, woman to turn a delectable shade of pink.

 

Mikasa raised an eyebrow, grunting underneath the crimson scarf. “Don’t be so full of yourself, Braun.”

 

“I’m pretty sure that’s not what you said last night,” he responded with a wink. “I’m gonna go wash up. Don’t miss me too much, doll.” Mikasa’s jaw dropped open as soon as Reiner’s large build turned around towards the direction of the river because both she as well as Bertolt noted the very obvious scratch marks on his back.

 

She was unable to do anything except for wrapping her whole head with the scarf to hide her embarrassment, causing Bertolt to chuckle, enjoying her small misery.

 

“Don’t worry, Mikasa. Both of your secrets are safe with me.”

 

Although Bertolt decided to keep another secret to himself as well.

 

They should have turned off the lantern inside the tent last night because he still couldn’t get the shadows of their copulating out of his retina and brain.

 

XoXoX

  

Soon after breakfast was done, they made a quick head start on Day 6 of their training inset. For somewhat reason, their journey had been a more pleasant experience than the past few days. Probably due to the major shift of their dynamic, especially between Mikasa and Reiner. Through normal eyes, they were their usual selves but to a keen observer like Bertolt, he could perceive that there was an unspoken gentleness in Reiner’s eyes every time he looked at Mikasa and he began to actively consider her opinions about their mission. While Mikasa, on the other hand, who might seem unaffected, Bertolt could see that her face was a lot more relaxed and glowing, in a way. It seemed that she was also a lot more patient with Reiner too.

 

A sudden bout of dizziness rushed through his head before he let out a series of unexpected sneezes, causing his two teammates to stop their tracks and looked back towards him.

 

“Bud, you okay?,” asked Reiner with concern on his face.

 

Bertolt struggled to answer and he wasn’t able to resist when Mikasa’s hands pulled on his outer jacket so he was a bit closer to her level and she placed one of her very, very cold hands on his forehead. “You have a high temperature, Bertl.”

 

He chuckled nervously, waving away her concern. “N-No, I’m f-fine, Mikas-......”

 

Those were the last words he said before his world turned pitch black.

 

Mikasa was very quick to catch Bertolt before he hit the ground. Reiner secured Bertolt’s other side and suggested that he shouldered the weight of his best friend on his back so they could continue their journey until the environment was more suitable for them to make a stop.

 

Mikasa hauled all of their backpacks onto her shoulders like they weighed nothing more than a bag of feathers, as she also took over Bertolt’s record keeping duties and walked close next to Reiner. As they continued their journey going down a sandy path leading to the last target on their terrain list, Reiner couldn’t stop stealing glances at his female teammate’s beguiling face at every chance he got. Hell, she could carry the weight of the whole world on her shoulders yet still look as ravishing.

 

They were trekking on a pathway leading into the desert where the rocky mountains formed a protective barrier against the heavy winds. He reflexively grabbed on her back when she almost slipped into a well-hidden ravine and she let out short, multiple hisses as her sudden slip brought about the ache she was suffering down under for the whole day.

 

“Doll, watch out. You’re still hurting aren’t you?”

 

“You did **almost** pulverize my vagina last night, Braun.” Her tone dead with a poker face expression but he did not miss the humor in her tone.

 

‘Wait, did she just make a joke?’ One of his eyebrows lifted in amazement. “The Ice Queen has a sense of humor after all. Who knew? I bet my amazing prowess had something to do with it.”

 

“Don’t get ahead of yourself.”

 

“Admit it, Mikasa. You love my di-”

 

Without a word, she took out her survival knife, pretending to inspect it for its sharpness and that was more than enough to serve as her response.

 

He clamped his mouth shut and quickly walked faster to avoid her wrath. He missed the smirk on her face though.

 

“Reiner….”

 

He turned his head back towards her when she called out for his name.

 

She slipped the knife back into her leather belt and continued her steps before pausing right in front of him. Her gunmetal eyes shone with a predacious glint. “Choke me again like you did last night, my blade will find its home in your skull. At the very least, ask me first before you do.” She caressed his jaw enticingly slow and her hand moved all the way down his neck before her fingers traced his pectorals as a reminder from their tryst last night, eliciting a grunt from his throat. “I apolo-”

 

“Don’t…..we’ve both unleashed monsters we both tried so hard to keep at bay. Maybe we should just try harder not to fuck like we want to kill each other the next time?”

 

“You mean, tonight?”

 

Calm gunmetal orbs locked hypnotizingly against his hazel eyes.

 

“We’ll see.”

 

Reiner watched her walked ahead as he shifted Bertolt’s sleeping position on his back. His eyes lingered on the way her athletic hips and thighs moved, asserting their authority over his sanity. The Warrior in him thought that he had subdued this Eldian witch into submission but it was the Soldier who has already surrendered to her mercy.

 

Mikasa Ackerman was a cold, heartless soldier but deep down she was a passionate, fiery lover. If only he could push away all the memories of last night from flooding his headspace.

 

_Reiner felt like puffing his chest in pride when he saw how the fearless and unemotional Mikasa Ackerman, had been reduced to a hot mess in his arms._

_How had he known which part of her body she was most sensitive at?_

_He didn’t._

_Yet, he had just made the top of their trainee class, THE Mikasa Ackerman come just by using his mouth and fingers._

_He trusted his natural, primal instincts, and a little bit on the locker room talks amongst the boys. His conditioning as both Warrior and Soldier did not prepare him for this yet both roles imposed on him to trust his intuition when thrust upon a new situation._

_As much as he wished he could free himself from the confinement of his pants, he wouldn’t want to force her if she wouldn’t want to. He somewhat expected that she would regret it later once she realized she was giving away her first time to him, out of all the other boys she could’ve had. Like Jean. Or even Eren if the boy had only taken the time to truly see how lucky he was to have her unwavering devotion._

_No, she deserved better and he was definitely above the rest._

_He was a Warrior, groomed and trained to bring about the destruction of the demons in this wretched place and this woman, was only one of the many descendants of the traitorous king who deserved retribution. One which he will deliver soon._

_For now, he would enjoy breaking this woman, whose worth a hundred soldiers into pieces by tearing her inside out. He will break her walls just like the way he had broken the northern gate of Wall Maria four years ago. Unmerciful and out of grace._

        

**Choke this love 'til the veins start to shiver**  
**One last breath 'til the tears start to wither**  
**Like a river, like a river**  
**Shut your mouth and run me like a river**

__

_Mikasa’s body was still heaving with the aftermath of her first orgasm. She swore she saw stars at the back of her eyes like a million colors just ruptured inside her brain, her heart stopped beating and her soul left her body just for that few short seconds. Was that, remotely a quiver of how death felt like?_

_She looked up towards Reiner, her blurry vision regained its clarity as it lingered on his face, also flushed with burning arousal. Her legs went limp as they rested lax against the sides of his thighs. All of her muscles trembled, ached yet she felt extremely good, just like when she soared up into the air with her 3D Maneuver Gear._

_Reiner’s member twitched and hardened even more upon seeing her spent, ethereal figure coming down from her post-orgasmic high. He couldn’t hold back anymore and carefully shifted her lower body on the ground as he hurriedly undone his breeches and let his manhood sprung free from its containment. His quick action elicited a small gasp from her as she sat up, raven hair framing her heart-shaped face and stared at his member, erected and proud between a tuft of hair. She could see light wisps of blonde hair that form a line all the way down from his taut abdomen, enhancing his raw masculinity._

_He felt a small stroke upon his ego by seeing the way her lush lips open in amazement. He knew he was very blessed in that department. Just like his build, he unquestionably packed a large package in the same way. A devilish grin graced his thin lips when it was very obvious that Mikasa Ackerman was very, very impressed with what he was offering. As if it wasn’t already visible with the way she was nervously licking and biting her lips._

_She swallowed hard. He was very well-endowed and she didn’t expect such part could be powerfully-built, overwhelming in its sinewy glory. “Uhm...hmm...” She was definitely unsure of the right words to say to address her new discovery. “It’s….it looks like it could tear me apart. From the inside.”_

_Was that Mikasa flustered?_

_He was secretly enjoying the fact that for the first time he could see her on edge and it had nothing to do with Eren._

_“I won’t lie to you, Mikasa. It might hurt but we’ll take it one step at a time.” ‘Yeah, more like one inch at a time.’ The Warrior in him snickered._

_He kissed those unholy lips of hers as he pressed her body down slowly towards the tent floor again. He placed his hands on each side of her head, caging her in his towering form. He kicked his breeches away while their mouths were still fused together. His right hand ghosted a trail from her breast all the way down her left thigh, hooking his hand under her knee and pressing it firmly against her breast, nudging her to hold her leg in place._

_He teased the entrance of her opening by brushing along the outline of her slit with the tip of his manhood, already sleek with his precum. He tauntingly used his member to stroke against her mound before going back to her opening. Her breath hitched in agony upon his cruel teasing, teeth chattering as her breaths exhaled in desperation._

_He made initial contact by sliding into her opening, thrusting just a little bit with ease due to her wetness, then removing himself quickly before stroking her on the outside again with his member and sliding in again a few more times, each time pushing in a little bit further than before. Mikasa felt her core opening slowly to accommodate him with lesser pain as she had expected._

_But it was too much of a torture for her even though she just came a few minutes earlier. Her impatience, combined with a well-masked excitement drove her right hand to grip at his hardened manhood abruptly, her hips pushing forward in response. He licked his lips upon feeling her cold touch against his skin. It was a welcoming contradiction - her coldness against his warmth._

_“Patience, Ackerman.” His hands continued his teasing touches against her breasts, causing the lust in her eyes to intensify. Patience was very much not her strong suit at this point._

_However, she too can play this game. “Well then, goodnight, Braun.” She feigned exhaustion and pretended to close her eyes, causing him to falter in his actions._

_“‘Kasa? Mikasa, are you falling asleep on me?” He squeezed her breasts before nipping on one gently, in order to stir her up._

_Still, there was no response._

_Well, there was only one thing left to do._

_Without a warning, he pushed his member deep into her core as deep as he could. Even with the slippery aid of her love juices, her tight walls shook upon the sudden intrusion and she mouthed a scream she wasn’t able to let out. She had an extremely high threshold for pain but being impaled by a man’s throbbing hard organ for the first time was a pain she’d never known would terrify her. It hurt her like nothing she had experienced before._

_Reiner stayed still as he held her close to his body, his member being fully sheathed all the way inside of her. When he saw a single drop of tear dropped down her cheek, he felt a tinge of guilt deep in his gut. He wiped it away with a thumb, gently whispering against her tight lips, “It’ll feel good, ‘Kasa. Trust me. Trust me.”_

_His words echoed in her ears as she opened her eyes and he leaned forward to kiss her as a means to soothe away the pain he’d caused. At the same time, he could feel her walls pulsating to accommodate his size, which was throbbing at the sudden sensation._

_Once the initial discomfort subsided, Mikasa was finally able to feel the pain literally transformed into pleasure by the way she slowly rocked her hips back and forth to test the tantalizing friction she felt where their bodies were joined._

_It only took him four-five more seconds before his hips pulled back and his powerful hands gripped the side of her hips as he pounded into her mercilessly, knowing full well she had gotten over the initial pain. Their bodies moved in sync with a primal rhythm that coordinated naturally without them even trying._

_She hooked her legs around his waist and her hands crossed at the back of his nape, greedy for more of his touch. It wasn’t long before his solid back muscles were blighted with the marks left by her dainty fingers, nails scratching in the throes of passion. Her teeth sunk into his neck as she beckoned him to keep increasing his speed and the force of his thrusts. “Harder…Reiner,” she whimpered against his ear, relishing in the delicious grinding of his warm steely muscle against her contracting walls._

_His grunts, her moans and the wet sounds of flesh slapping against flesh resonated inside the three by three sized-tent._

_As his body started to lose himself to their rutting, little did Reiner realize that he had also lost control over his dominant personality. ‘No mercy, Reiner. Show this Eldian bitch her place. Fuck this devil spawn to damnation. Break her so she’ll regret the day she met you.’ His eyes took a darker shade at the coaxing of the vindictive voice inside his head._

_His right hand moved straight to the area where her flushed body met that beautiful, taunting face of hers and he grabbed it with a force that would’ve crushed a mere human._

_He held her neck in a chokehold, all while pumping savagely into her causing her eyes to snap wide open and her mouth gasping for air that was suddenly cut off from her breathing._

_Mikasa tried to pry open his hand desperately, her vision beginning to cloud in her suffocation._

    

****Tales of an endless heart****  
**Cursed is the fool who's willing**  
**Can't change the way we are**  
**One kiss away from killing**

 

Using the last surge of energy within, she grabbed hold of his head and forced her whole body to reverse their position and she was now the one on top, holding his neck down with her left elbow all while their bodies were still fused with each other.

_“What-the-hell-was-that, Reiner?!” She struggled to utter her accusatory remark while taking in as much air as she could. She pinned him down with the length of her whole body, trapping his thighs under her trembling knees. Out of pain or out of fear, it was no one’s guess._

_His eyes widened in shock, his body paralyzed under her absolute restraint. Sadly, he had no idea what took place the past few seconds earlier himself. The only hint he received was the reddish mark around Mikasa’s dainty neck in the shape of his own hand. ‘Fuck’_

_“Shit, I am so sorry, Mikasa.” He crumbled under her stressful gaze. “I didn’t mean to-I just didn’t realize that-”_

_His words were stopped by a touch of her finger against his thin lips._

_“I told you before, if I could show you my demons then you could show me yours. I can take it, Reiner. I just need you to know there is a limit to how far I can take it.”_

_“Hurt me back, Mikasa. I deserved it, after what I just did to you.” He expected a fist to his jaw, a slap in his face, the same squeeze on his own neck, anything._

_Anything but the feeling of cold steel blade running across his chest, leaving a trail of dark red liquid in its path. She had brandished the forgotten knife from before with an unmatched agility. The emerging pain was soon replaced by an indescribable thrill as soon as he felt the slickness of her warm tongue lapping greedily at the blood trickling from the cut. The stinging pain only made his member twitched restlessly within her heated passage upon the wild, unexpected stimulation._

_He could taste the coppery tang of his own blood in her ensuing kiss when her teeth sunk into his lips. She tore her mouth away quickly before holding the blade against his neck and nonchalantly demanded his obedience with only two words: “ **Reiner. Move.** ” _

_Did her secret fixation repulse him?_

_Not even the slightest. It only left him in awe of her imperfection._

_Both the Warrior and Soldier inside his head surrendered to her dominance._

_To Mikasa, it reminded her of the night she held the bloody knife that exuded justice on her parents’ murderers. The pivotal moment when she gained control of her inborn powers._

_Six years ago, it was her awakening as a girl. Tonight, it was her awakening as a woman._

_She had never felt as liberated when she rode him again and again until her body strung upwards taut as a bow-string, coming undone once again in his arms. It was beyond electric. The rush that she felt was wildly erotic in its purest form. Right before she collapsed on top of him, Reiner gathered the last remaining control he still had left in his body to pull out and released into whatever clothing he managed to grab hold in the nick of time._

 

_Right before he closed his eyes with her body spent on top of his, he silently prayed she would not see the steam slowly rising from the fabric in his hand._

“-night of our of training and our team has to scour the desert last. Not to mention we have to be extra careful with the fire. Sure hope the weather will be merciful tonight. It’ll be freezing cold if we lose the flames.” Mikasa observed her surroundings before dropping all of their backpacks on the ground.

 

Her voice brought him back to reality. She gave him a questioning look-over and smirked. “Someone’s been thinking _long and hard_ about something.” He didn’t catch the innuendo in her words at first, but after following the direction of her gaze towards his nether regions, he finally understood.

 

“Can’t get enough of it do you, Ackerman?”

 

She peeled her outer jacket off, revealing her already slightly undone white button-up shirt. The top of her heavenly globes already on full display, taunting his inner demon silently. “The sooner we can pitch the tent for Bertl to rest in, the sooner we can do something about the one in your pants.” Again, he didn’t miss the humor in her tone even with the deadpan expression on her face.

 

‘You’re a fuckin’ tease, Ackerman. I’ll make you regret it later.’

 

“We should take turns for night watch later and let Bertl rest more tonight. After all, he did get sick because of us.” Mikasa gave a sympathizing look at his best friend who was still fast asleep as she started to arrange some leftover firewoods for the fire pit. Reiner had settled Bertolt’s unconscious body against a big boulder, intending to help set up the tent for their shelter tonight. He looked up from his task and gave her an irresistible grin in return.

 

“‘Kasa, you do know by now that I have no plans on letting you sleep tonight.”

 

‘Fuck me’ A shiver ran up her spine upon hearing his words. Mikasa understood very well that they had both reached a point of no return.

 

Their inner beasts’ hunger wasn't only satiated last night. They’ve gotten even more ravenous than before.

  

 XoXoX

   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully the next chapter will be the final chapter. I swear my writing keeps evolving into something else while I am still working on it. It was supposed to be a one-night fling type of thing but it got much deeper and a bit darker than what I had initially planned for it. This is what you get when you listen to “Fifty Shades Darker” OST when you’re writing XD oh, and Happy Halloween!
> 
>    
>  In Next Chapter : Not Afraid Anymore
> 
> He looked intensely at her face as he deepened his thrusts, hands kneading her breasts, groaning as he felt her inner walls clenched against his scorching hot member. “Look at me, Mikasa. Say my name...” His low, husky voice a tormenting whisper against her ear.
> 
> “Rei….-er….n.” She was struggling between her desperate cries for him to go faster and the erratic grinding of her hips between his thighs. He knew absolutely well the reason why.
> 
> He rested his head next to hers, their sweats mingled when their burning skin touched. “It’s Reiner, Mikasa. Are you thinking about him when it’s me who’s inside you right now?”
> 
> “Why would I when you’ve already ruined me, Reiner.”


	3. Not Afraid Anymore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fireside conversation brought out a gentle, unexpected side of the two cadets as they spent their last night together in the desert with talking voices and talking bodies. The next day, Reiner and Mikasa found themselves facing the aftermath of their wilderness training.

 

Chapter Note: Thank you so much for my guest readers who visited “Twilight Blue” and a heartfelt appreciation for leaving your kudos. There are no words that could do justice in describing how happy I am upon knowing that there are Snk/AoT fans out there who would read my story. I didn’t expect more than 50 hits, let alone any kudos but you have made this story even more special. Thank you once again. I apologize that this chapter took more than 2 months to be written but I had a clear goal in mind to conclude “Twilight Blue” before the New Year comes. So, this final chapter is for all of you curious cats out there! <3

 

P/s: Have you seen Mikasa’s new post time-skip look in chapter 101? She looks amazing! How I wish I could work on a fanart of both time-skip Reiner and Mikasa together, but sadly, I could not draw even if my life depends entirely on it >3

 

 **Chapter's Song Inspiration:[Halsey - Not Afraid Anymore](https://open.spotify.com/track/089jknu6TGtAjKnG5hYMtZ)**  

 

_Crawling underneath my skin, sweet talk with a hint of sin_

_Begging you to take me_

_Devil underneath your grin, sweet thing, bet you play to win, heaven gonna hate me_

_And touch me like you never, And push me like you never_

_And touch me like you never_

_'Cause I am not afraid, I am not afraid anymore_

_Halsey - Not Afraid Anymore_

 

XoXoX

 

The blaze of the bonfire emitted a comfortable warmth against a pair of feminine hands, as their owner clasped them together to chase away the coldness of the evening breeze. Mikasa blew into her cupped hands before brushing them together to bask in the heat of her own breath. Not too long after that, a hand settled into the folds of her dark red scarf while the other hand continued writing on the sandy surface of their mission’s log book. It was very apparent that she attempted for her cursive notes to be as close as it could to Bertolt’s neat handwriting, with hopes that Instructor Shadis wouldn’t be noticing the minor change of hands. Occasionally, her hand took a break from pressing the quill too hard and her eyes lingered upon the young man sitting on the opposite side of the burning flames.

 

Unlike the nights they’ve spent in the forest, the evenings in the desert was nothing but a dark canvas of dead silence, save for the crackling of burning woods as they slowly changed into dark, ashy coals. In the dim glow of the campfire, she revelled in the way the blaze highlighted the very eccentric facial features of her companion; from his sharp, downturned nose to his thin lips and the way his eyes reflected the storm of emotions cleverly hidden within. It was common knowledge amongst the female cadets that Reiner was one of the boys who looked easy on the eyes - a fact which Mikasa had neither been bothered nor paid attention to before. She never found herself partaking in their pointless chatters but her ears did perk up one time when Eren’s name was mentioned. However, at one point, the girls had even suggested that no one was Mikasa’s equal but Reiner in terms of strength and ferocity in their performance, based on their trainee rankings. IF they were to be partnered together - professionally, they’ll be a deadly, unstoppable force that could wipe out any enemies of humanity or personally - they could potentially produce a strong batch of miniature titan killing machines in the near future. She just shook her head and scoffed in disbelief when she overheard their conversation. She’d always seen him as nothing else but her closest rank competitor, yet she silently admitted now that their idle gossips somehow might hold a candle after all.

 

They were both two very physically strong people but with personalities from two different ends of a spectrum. All the other cadets looked up to him with respect and admiration while people cowered in fear from her. How could they even be compatible with each other than their physical strength - hers was inborn while his was from hard work?

 

But Reiner was right. They were not very much different from each other. They both had a darker side within that no one else could possible knew and they had revealed that secret side to each other only the night before.

 

When her father was still alive, one of his bits of advice that she still hold dear to her heart was, the strongest ones were always vulnerable in the inside and they will only reveal that side to people they could trust. Looking at his striking face from across the fire, her father’s words did not stray too far from the truth. Coincidentally, those were the same words that Reiner said to her two nights ago.

 

_“S_ _ometimes, you need to let that monster out in order for you to live normally. Only certain people would be able to witness your inner monster and still love you just the same.”_

 

There was an indescribable gentleness in Reiner’s face as their eyes locked from across the fire.

 

“How’s the log writing going on?”

 

She had, after all, placed the finishing dot on her writings in a timely manner just as he posed the questioned. “I’m no Bertolt but I tried my best. He has the neatest handwriting I’ve ever seen.”

 

“What are you talking about? I’ve seen your handwriting, Doll. They’re amazing! The best I’ve ever seen,” he protested enthusiastically, causing her cheeks to turn scarlet in an instance and she tried to hide her face inside her scarf. It wasn’t like Reiner was describing something else instead.

 

“Are you feeling cold?”

 

She nodded a bit. Reiner stood up while gathering his sleeping bag and a tin mug of freshly-brewed coffee before walking towards her position. Mikasa closed the log book in her hands and tucked it inside her backpack for safekeeping. Her right hand took hold of the tin container in his hands, as a small action to help him as he stretched the canvas flat on the sandy ground. He settled his bearings right next to her spot before he rooted himself comfortably against a large boulder, his left hand nestled atop of his raised knee.

 

“Since we’re both up for night watch, do you fancy a story, Doll?” He grinned as he took out a leather-bound book, the exact same one which Bertolt was reading earlier that morning, which he snuck within the folds of his sleeping bag earlier.

 

She gave a quizzical look but nodded gently with a smile on her face. Usually, she would’ve cringed at the nickname he had for her, but she had grown to be fond of it by now. Maybe she would learn about his reasoning behind the name one of these days.

 

He flipped through the thick book, starting from the middle as he read aloud some of the chapter titles in passing. “The Giant Slayer-huh, as if we’re not already training to kill giant monsters ourselves. Pass. Let’s see-oh I found the perfect story for you.”

 

Mikasa raised one of her eyebrows in curiosity. “And, what would that be? If you start to name stories with princesses, I’m going to strangle you.”

 

He looked up from the book and laughed. “I know you like to hurt me so much, so I will abstain myself from giving you the opportunity to do so.” He beckoned her to move a bit closer to him as he showed her the title of the story. Mikasa shifted her position all the way to her left until their legs touched, being fully aware and definitely on purpose as she felt the warmth radiating from his rock-hard body, clad in his forest green tunic. That was also another trait of his which she found to be surprisingly very comforting, especially when the night was getting colder by the minute.

 

“Red Riding Hood,” he read aloud as his right hand went around her body to pull her blood red scarf up to cover her head, just like the titular character of the story he was beginning to read. He was apparently trying to make her feel more settled. “Once upon a time, there was a young girl who lived with her mother in the forest. She was a bright, kind and smart girl and everyone in the village loved her. She was never seen without her red-colored riding hood because it was a gift from her beloved grandmother. One day, her mother asked Little Red Riding Hood to visit her grandmother with a basket full of delicious smoked meat on a bed of greens and sun-dried tomatoes with freshly-baked buns to make her happy. Now her grandmother lives all on her own, in a small cottage deep within the forest and the journey would take ….”

 

Reiner continued reading the story and occasionally he would stop to show her a drawn picture of the story. As the pages were turned, it didn’t escape Mikasa’s attention that Reiner has a soothing reading voice and she found out that she could somehow unwind and let her guards down again for that night. Sitting here next to him, embraced in his comforting warmth as she listened to his reading, made her revived the beautiful nights she shared with her beloved parents at the back of her mind. Papa would read her bedtime stories while Mama would sit on a rocking chair nearby, doing her embroidery of silver and gold silk threads.

 

She missed them so dearly that their deaths still tore her heart open every time she pondered on it like it just happened only yesterday. Without her realizing, her shaking figure nestled in closer to Reiner’s larger build and his right hand pulled her closer to his chest, a much-welcomed reaction to the chilling night temperature. They stayed that way well into the night, like two lonely travelers seeking comfort and solace, comparable to a bed of roses in this vast desert.

 

Reiner reached the end of the story and peered down at the raven-haired girl in his arms. “Any thoughts?” he asked, breaking Mikasa out of her pondering and caused her to shift away in embarrassment due to the position they were in.

 

“If I was Red Riding Hood, I wouldn’t wait for the Hunter to rescue me. I would’ve bashed the Wolf’s head with the basket or run to the kitchen to get a pan or a …….knife,” her voice droned out subconsciously, as the red, bloody memories of her parents’ murders resurfaced.

 

Reiner’s eyes squinted in worry. “Mikasa…..”

 

“Reiner, if a small innocent girl like in the story, found out that a predator invaded her family home and tried to prey on her and her family, was it wrong for her to kill that predator herself?  Does that make her a monster? Was she a monster for protecting her family?”

 

He looked at her attentively. “She was only a child, Mikasa. She didn’t deserve to be in that position. No child does.”

 

_“We were only kids….we didn’t know any better” The voice of his Warrior echoed inside his head._

 

It didn’t take him long to associate an extremely painful memory of hers to her fascination with blood and knife. He’d only known of her and Eren’s history from the surface. Just that she lost both of her parents the day she met Eren. Nothing beyond, nothing in-depth.

 

Mikasa’s gunmetal irises clouded in silent sadness as they hooked onto his own amber eyes and their brains simultaneously drew in the ironic similarities of the fairy tale he just read to her own past. “In my story, Eren was the hunter who came in to save me right before I become the predators’ victim. He would’ve died if I never had the courage to fight. We were only children, Reiner. I was only nine when I killed a grown man in cold blood.”

 

He looked back at her with a steely gaze, the wheels of his own mind turning inside his head. When she was nine, he was eleven and there was no way she would’ve expected that in the same year, he had already murdered hundreds, even thousands of unnamed soldiers in his first war to prove his own worth as the Armored Titan to the Marley Government.

 

His hand moved up to cup the side of her face and said, “Eren would’ve said this before but I would say this again - You are no monster, Mikasa Ackerman. You are a strong human that anyone would be proud to call a friend and family. The scums who invaded your home were the vile monsters and they deserved to be put down like the demons they are.”

 

 _‘Well, you’re also a monster, a thousand times over,’_ the inner Warrior in him derided upon the words that flowed out of his own mouth. He gritted his teeth at the bitter, hypocritical truth.

 

“Mikasa, I think I should apologize to you for last night.”

 

“We’ve talked about this before. There’s nothing for you to apologize for, Reiner.”

 

“I don’t want you to feel like I’ve taken advantage of you last night. It was your first time.”

 

“It was your first time too, wasn’t it?”

 

“Yeah but-”

 

Out of a sudden, a small snarl was heard and a burning pain shot through his left forearm. Both of them gaped with shock as a large desert lizard scurried away hurriedly to escape after its unforeseen attack, leaving a puncture mark behind on Reiner’s arm. It wasn’t quick enough though as a hunting knife lodged in its guts, all thanks to Mikasa’s agile reflex. The grayish-brown, scaly animal twitched helplessly before the life drained out of its being completely.

 

“Nasty little shit. Is it poisonous?” asked Reiner, cradling his forearm and all while remaining calm even though blood was already trickling down his hand.

 

Mikasa shook her head as she inspected his wound, “I don’t think so but just in case....”. She quickly reached into the smaller side compartment of her knapsack and drew out a small white cloth. Reiner watched as her mouth clamped against his wound gracefully as she attempted to extract out any possible venom and spit into the rag several times. He winced upon the first initial sting but after awhile, he began to secretly appreciate the touch of her lips against his skin. His own pain forgotten, his eyes followed her every action from the way she rinsed her mouth right before she rinsed the contusion on his arm with water. She dug through the contents of her backpack and sighed in disappointment when she failed to find any usable wraps for his injury. He could see her mind conjuring up a speedy thought process from the way the space between her eyebrows crinkled gently. Soon after, her hands went beneath her shirt as she slowly peeled away some of her chest bindings before tearing it off to produce a makeshift wrap for his forearm.

 

“This would be unsanitary but I only wore it slightly before dinner time earlier. Sorry but this is all I have on hand right now. I hope it’ll last till we return to the barracks tomorrow where we can get rubbing alcohol for your wound.”

 

In all of her rough exterior, Mikasa was so very graceful. Gentle even.

 

His heartbeat spiked up rapidly.

 

What was happening to him?

 

“All done,” her soft voice broke his train of thoughts. She dressed his wound in strips of bandages as quick as it was humanly possible. He observed that there were remnants of his blood around her mouth and doused his fingers with some water himself. He pushed aside the middle fringe of her inky hair and use the drenched digits to clean the stains on her face. He savored every inch of her skin as his hand clasped her rosy cheek, a thumb caressing the outline of her lush lips.

 

“Thank you, Mikasa.”

 

“How about we make it even then?” Her voice was a tender whisper. Her breath a teasing blow that sent a chill down his own spine.

 

One of his thin eyebrows lifted in curiosity. “Even?”

 

He felt as if there was a sense of thrill in the cold night air as her dainty fingers splayed against his torso, fiddling around the brass buckle of his belt. There was a dangerous glint in her eyes when the corners of her mouth lifted in a sly grin. He was beginning to notice a rather uncanny pattern here, but it could only be a trick of his mind. Could it be a coping mechanism, a red door that shut and locked all of her painful memories away? He wouldn’t dare to make that assumption but this was the  **third** time he bled and again she would have a very unchaste reaction to it.

 

“I agree with what you’ve said. So tonight, it’s my turn to take advantage of you.”

 

The flames cast a mystifying glow around her beguiling curves as she shifted her body closer and stood on all fours right in front of him. Her fingers were already quick at work in undoing the front of his breeches.

 

At times, he felt that he’d rather bleed just to know that he was still alive and breathing. Now, he’d bleed if it meant he could get a taste of the forbidden with her and his brain stopped processing any coherent thoughts when his member was enveloped in her warm, inviting mouth and wicked, wicked hands.

 

In the name of Maria, Rose and Sina, he’d surrender to her grace and mercy again tonight.

 

XoXoX

 

Somehow during midnight, Bertolt had awakened in his feverish and delirious state to fetch a drink from his waterskin, only for him to overhear sounds of muffled moans coming from outside the tent. Just as he’d expected, his two teammates have already latched onto each other. He’d remembered they were sitting far apart while they were having dinner earlier, both playing it cool. Now, it seemed that Reiner and Mikasa weren’t able to keep their hands to themselves for much longer, if their hushed voices and smooching sounds were of any hints, knowing full well that their other teammate would be fast asleep inside the tent.

 

They were both sitting quite a distance from the fire pit, with her literally sitting on top of him, close enough that the flames were still able to cast their shadows against a big boulder behind the big frame of his best friend. Their top halves were, thank God, still fully clothed, but Bertolt didn’t need to squint his eyes to know that their lower halves were at least joint to each other underneath the blanket resting on Mikasa’s thighs, even more so with the way Mikasa’s lithe body was writhing against Reiner’s larger build.

 

Reiner was holding her in his embrace, hands vanishing beneath her top and already immersed with kissing and biting alongside the graceful column of the raven-haired girl’s neck. Bertolt was a little enthralled to see the cutest blush on Mikasa’s otherwise pale, porcelain face and her lips forming a small ‘O’ upon Reiner’s actions.

 

‘Seriously, these two have the craziest libido than average teenagers,’ he silently said to himself but personally, he was slightly envious that his teammates were not afraid to express what they truly desire and how he wished he would’ve been able to explore the same thing that they were doing with the girl of his dreams.

 

‘Annie.’ Painful won’t even describe the way his heart was calling out for her name. His secret love. His hopeful dream. Was there even a small chance that she might be thinking of him right now?

 

He decided that he should try to go back to his sleep and hoped that the visions of light blonde hair, clearest sky blue eyes and fair skin belonging to one Annie Leonhardt would bless his nightscape.

 

It also didn’t take much for Bertolt to realize the low moanings during sunset from much earlier actually came from Mikasa. The way her milky skin blushed a deep crimson after she and Reiner returned from the watering hole confirmed his suspicions that they were definitely doing more than just cleaning themselves. They were doing each other. Again.

 

Bertolt groaned frustratingly as he turned his body around, covering his ears with his blanket.

 

XoXoX

 

Reiner looked intensely at the side of her face as he deepened his thrusts, hands kneading her breasts, groaning as he felt her inner walls clenched against his scorching hot member. “Look at me, Mikasa. Say my name...” His low, husky voice a tormenting whisper in her ear.

 

“Rei….-er….n.” She was struggling between her desperate cries for him to go faster and the erratic grinding of her hips between his thighs. He knew absolutely well the reason why. He rested his head next to hers, their sweats mingled when their burning skin touched. “It’s Reiner, Mikasa. Are you thinking about him when it’s me who’s inside you right now?”

 

“God, no.” She paused between her moans. “Why would I when you’ve already ruined me, Reiner?”

 

His hips stopped moving, and he stayed still inside her unexpectedly. “We’re graduating in six months, and we’ll never know how much time we have left before we got ourselves killed or mauled by a Titan. So, if tonight is the only chance I have left to remotely feel something to love, please let me have it. Let us have it. With each other. When the morning comes, we can pretend this never happened ever again and carry on like I’ve never been inside you.” His voice carried a broken tone, just like his conflicted mind. He wasn’t supposed to be involved with anyone on this forsaken place but this young woman was driving him to the brink of insanity. As if he wasn’t already out of his mind before.

 

Her slightly calloused hands, yet tender to his touch clutched the side of his face and she turned her head closer to his before their lips met once again in a kiss. This time, it wasn’t as intense as before. It was gentler as if her lips were absorbing all of his insecurities away. “Let’s not think about tomorrow. It’s a long way until dawn.”

 

She continued riding him, her body motions as fluid as the steady flowing river. What they both were doing so openly was a huge risk if they were to be discovered but at that moment, the risk was the furthest thing in both of their minds. It wasn’t long before they both reached the peak of their rutting and a barely contained scream escaped from her lips.

 

Even when screaming, she was still a vision of elegance to him.

 

XoXoX

 

Armin waved happily at his childhood friends upon recognizing their familiar faces when they entered the training field.  “Eren, Mikasa. How have you guys been?” His serene, boyish face reflected his jovial mood, as bright as the afternoon sun.

 

“Armin...good to see you too,” Mikasa responded with a sisterly ruffle on Armin’s mop of blonde hair and a warm smile on her lips although she remained tight-lipped when her eyes landed on Eren. This did not go unnoticed by Armin’s watchful gaze, much to the boy’s bewilderment.

 

“Wow, you guys looked like shit,” came the first greeting from Eren as soon as Team Braun-Ackerman-Hoover came into his view. Reiner smirked in reply, “Right back at you, Yaeger.” While Bertolt just nodded silently in acknowledgment at the younger boy. However, no word of response came from Mikasa but her gaze did soften a bit when she looked at her adopted brother. She really wouldn’t admit it out loud but deep inside her heart, she truly missed Eren even if he unintentionally hurt her feelings several days before.

 

Most of the other teams were appearing one by one on the field where all of the trainees were now gathered for their post-mission debriefing and happy chatterings could be heard all around when they reconnected with their usual cliques. The happy-go-lucky Sasha jumped in front of Mikasa and gave the raven-haired girl a big hug. “I miss you so much, Mikasa!!” She returned Sasha’s embrace slowly before patting the girl’s back in a gentle, sisterly manner. Jean, who was Sasha’s team leader, appeared from behind, giving her a bashful greeting. “H-hi Mikasa…” Jean’s eyes looked nervously at her, a hand clutching the back of his head as a small blush started to appear on his face. Mikasa nodded silently at him in return, a friendly smile on her face.

 

Reiner’s eyes squinted at Jean - who was apparently still harboring his schoolboy crush on Mikasa, in pity. He knew firsthand that whatever Jean thought he’s feeling for Mikasa, it would be forever moving in a one-way street if Eren was around. He’d known that sad fact of all people, how her heart was unobtainable. He might have explored her body in the most intimate way possible, made her screamed his name when he made her come two nights in a row but still couldn’t even get close to the door of her heart. What they had was lust and it couldn’t possibly be more than that.

 

“Reiner, what the hell bit you on the neck? It’s bruised. All black and blue,” Eren asked the taller cadet, a mixture of terrified and disgust was displayed on his face, a timely distraction for his train of thought.

 

A large hand drew instantaneously to his neck. “I think I got this when we were in the hills. It might be a huge spider. Female, I think. She’s vicious. I swore she was out to get my blood,” answered Reiner with a snarky expression, eyes moving back and forth between Eren and Mikasa. She silently sent him a threatening glare with an ‘I dare you’ look on her stony face.

 

“Eh, you got few ones on your neck too, Mikasa. Were you guys camping nearby a spider’s nest? Don’t tell me you’ve been bitten by the same spider too?” Sasha chimed in when she noticed the discoloration of multiple bite marks on her friend’s neck. Mikasa tried adjusting the folds of her scarf quickly before everyone else’s focus went to her jugular.

 

“But, Bertolt seems fine…..,” drawled Armin subconsciously, causing the dark-haired tall boy to sweat nervously and offered a good cover for his two teammates. “Actually Armin, I have one on my back. Th-though, it doesn’t hurt as much as it looks anymore.” To which, Reiner and Mikasa exhaled calmly on Bertolt’s timely diversion. Sasha seemed to be a bit more concerned when she voiced out, “What if the spiders were poisonous? You guys better go to the Med Bay and get it checked. How do the spiders look like? I think I would know if they have venoms that could kill you or not.”

 

Mikasa grabbed both of Sasha’s shoulder to calm her down. “Sasha. Relax.”

 

“But, Mikasa...You look a bit more pale and tired than usual,” the brunette cupped her friend’s face with both of her hands to inspect the dark circles under Mikasa’s eyes.

 

“Come to think of it, Ackerman and I couldn’t get a wink of sleep because we were both up for night watch last night. Right, Ackerman?” said Reiner while stretching and stifling a yawn at the same time. Mikasa let out a big yawn herself yet it was muffled by her scarf instead. Regardless, she gave a small nod in return.

 

“Mika, you look really tired. You should really go to the Sick Bay. I’ll let Instructor Shadis know so Eren can bring you there.” Armin suggested, partly wanting to help both of his best friends to clear the awkwardness in the air between them for reasons unknown to him. Eren rolled his eyes subconsciously. “Why do I need to be the one who takes her there? She’s obviously pretty capable of going there herself.”

 

“It’s alright, Armin. I am fine as long as Eren didn’t get hurt. I don’t want to trouble Eren either,” said Mikasa with a dejected tone in her voice. There was also a glassy look in her steel grey eyes, which did not escape Reiner’s sharp gaze.

 

“Here we go again. Why does everything have to come back to me, Mikasa? Oh God, can’t you just let me be? Go to the Med Bay, the dorm, whatever. Stop coddling me. Give me back my last seven days of peace.” Eren gripped the sides of her shoulders, his frustrated green eyes were like daggers stabbing through her incomplete heart. His grip didn’t hurt her. His words succeeded enough as it is.

 

A large hand settled on top of the young boy’s head in a tight grip, indirectly serving as a gentle warning for his action. “Calm down and take a walk, Yaeger. Your sister deserved a little bit more of your respect.”

 

“This is between family, Reiner.”

 

“Back from where I come from, you don’t talk to your family like that.”

 

“You spend a week with my sister and now you’re buddies?”

 

 _‘Heh, make that fuck buddies now’._ As much as he was tempted to say that out loud, Reiner sighed instead as he looked at the younger boy in front of him. “Fine, Yaeger. Settle this another time.”

 

A voice sounded from behind. “Uhh...I can help take Mikasa to the Med Bay,” said Jean with genuine concern in his eyes, to which Reiner’s head shook in firm response.

 

“There’s no need for you to be concerned with Ackerman, Kirschtein.”

 

“But seriously, Reiner, I’ll be happy to h-”

 

Reiner was very close to grabbing Jean’s head and shoving it to Eren’s just so he could knock some sense into both of their oblivious heads. But alas, his arm landed on Jean’s shoulders instead as his voice took a much lower tone, a subtle caution in his voice.

 

“Until the debriefing, I’m still her Team Leader and her well-being is still my responsibility, Kirschtein. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to take Ackerman to the Medical Bay. Bertl?”

 

The quiet, demure Bertolt nodded in understanding. “Go ahead. Guys, let’s get in line. We need to submit our reports to the Instructor don’t we?” The tallest boy in their class gently ushered all of his younger comrades towards the front of the assembled group. Bertolt didn’t miss the perceptive gaze of the shorter, blonde boy in front of him especially when together, they both noticed Reiner’s small action as they all walked away in opposite directions. The way Reiner’s hands brushed quickly against Mikasa’s shoulders, exactly at the spot where Eren grabbed at much earlier did not go unnoticed. He knew sooner or later Armin might figure out what was happening between their respective childhood friends. Until then, he figured he would try to steer Armin’s concern away from Mikasa and hopefully both her as well as Reiner would finally figure out the direction of their relationship in time.

 

Before they ran out of it.

 

XoXoX

 

“I’m really fine, Reiner,” said Mikasa as she tried to fight from the pressure of his large build against her body as soon as they both walked into the empty space of the barracks’ medical room. He smirked as he leaned against the closed door, a gentle look on his hardened face. “Just stop talking, Ackerman and lie down on the bed.”

 

“I said I’m fi-mmph-” Her words were muffled by the touch of his lips and she quickly smacked his chest, earning a low grunt from his throat. “Reiner, seriously?!”

 

He crossed his arms over his chest. “I did ask you nicely to shut your mouth and just go to sleep. If you’re still insisting, I’ll do more than just a kiss and I will exhaust you to the point of you passing out.” There was a pause in his sentence and a naughty glint in his eyes as he advanced forward. “Oh wait, that would be a better idea after all.”

 

Mikasa took a few steps back. She’d have no problems kicking him out of the door before but she could safely say that there was a particular, unspoken understanding that they have reached between them since the past few days. “I dare you.”

 

“Just lie your head down. I’ll leave when you do. Between the two of us, you could use more rest than I do.” A warm smile was etched on his face as he walked towards the bed nearest to the window and the furthest from the door so she could have as much deserved privacy. He propped the pillow up before finding a spot to sit on the bed, patting the space next to him and beckoning her to do the same.

 

Mikasa was the type of girl who’d always take charge of everything, making sure everything and everyone were always taken care of before she did with herself. Surprisingly, she found out that she wouldn’t mind letting Reiner take the liberty to ensure that she was comfortable this time. Maybe because in that room, it was only the two of them and they have ventured into the unthinkable territory just a few days earlier together. That had somewhat changed her perception towards the tall, handsome blonde right in front of her.

 

“Stay. This is the first time we actually had a bed to lie on after a week on the ground.”

 

“You’re not gonna be worried if someone walks in?”

 

“We’re only going to be sleeping. Unless, like you said before, you’d prefer to….” Mikasa’s words trailed endlessly and one of her hands trailed against his muscular thighs, ghosting teasing touches that were getting dangerously close to the zipper of his trousers.

 

His right thumb reached up to trace her lower lips. “As tempting as it is to be inside you right now, ‘Kasa, you deserved to have more sleep. I’ll make sure to get Shadis’ permission so you could stay the night here under my ‘supervision’,” said Reiner with a wink.

 

Mikasa shook her head in disbelief while fighting off a smile from appearing on her lips. “You’re giving Shadis more reasons to suspect that we’re sleeping together.”

 

“Don’t be modest, Doll. You’re Shadis’ golden girl and I’m his best recruit,” he cleared his throat before continuing, “after you, of course. If there’s anyone who can get away with a lot of things, it would be us. Let me see if I can’t bribe Potato Girl to cover for us.”

 

“At least, let me redress your wound?”

 

With a chuckle, Reiner stood up to take his leave and right before he closed the door behind him, he said, “It’s fine. You can help me later when I’m back with our dinner. I kind of like the bandage to stay a little bit longer on my arm because it still has your scent on it.”

 

He managed to avoid the swing of her hand in time. “Hey, don’t ditch me on our first dinner date tonight.”

 

“A date? But we’re not-”

 

“Are we not friends who will have dinner together, steal kisses and have a little something-something with each other when we have the chance? We’re obviously not dating-whatsoever. Just like how you prefer it, Ackerman. Got it. Still remember your words from last night.” His finger tapped the side of his temple and his voice thankfully retained its cheerful tone despite the invisible crushing force gripping against his throat. He did not-could not have feelings for her that fast, could he? It was just physical. Lust. They have no space for something so trivial like love or a committed relationship.

 

“Thank you, Reiner.” Her face was devoid of emotions and that was making him feel even worse.

 

“What are you talking about? Friends don’t need to thank each other for being there right?” God, he needed to get his ass out of that room before he fucks his pride aside and grovels before her feet, declaring his newfound feelings for her.

 

It was just sex.

 

Yes, but it was also great, mind-blowing sex that he would never get to experience again when everything blows over after graduation.

 

 _‘Friends my ass.’_ His inner Warrior’s voice taunted without mercy.

 

He stormed off, not bothering to wait until the door closed, completely missing the way Mikasa’s face blushed as she tried to still her beating heart.

 

XoXoX

 

For the last entry of their log book, Bertolt had written :

 

_“At the beginning of our journey, Cadets Ackerman and Braun’s strong, domineering personalities had proven to be a challenge to our team’s dynamic. Ackerman was a bit reserved and mostly kept to herself although she contributed to the best of her abilities. She needed a bit more time to open herself up to us as her new teammates but she was without a doubt, a highly-intuitive soldier who never wavered in the face of crisis although she could be mildly erratic in certain situations. She held her own but gave her best when it was needed._

 

_Meanwhile, Braun was not without his own shortcomings as well. He was a natural leader, caring in nature but tend to be overly-critical of himself, which in return could affect the way he communicates with others. He’d become more empathetic as our journey progresses in which itself, we encountered different trials and tribulations from Day 1 until Day 7._

 

_From my observation, both Ackerman and Braun are very compatible with their physical strengths, their principals and they balance each other’s energy very well. Towards the end of our journey, I have witnessed how they have actually complemented each other’s strategizing process. When I was incapacitated with a sudden health concern and had to be shouldered unquestionably for the rest of our journey, Braun had no hesitation in trusting the leadership of the team to Ackerman as she also took over my record-writing duties._

 

_I have gained important social skills, teamwork and trust lessons during this training inset from the two highest-ranking cadets in our class and it would be a great honor to work with them again closely in the near future for humanity’s survival.”_

 

**The End**

 

* * *

 

_Bonus Epilogue (that nobody asked for xD)_

 

Dinner had always been a joyous moment at the Training Camp’s mess hall, except when Jean and Eren broke into one of their usual fights from time to time only for Reiner, the big brother slash referee, to step in and breaks off the fight between the two boys. Otherwise, it was a time greatly enjoyed by all the cadets, even more so when they have all just returned from a long excursion.

 

That evening, however, Jean, once again managed to say something stupid that caused the young, aspiring Titan-slayer and son of one late Dr. Grisha Yaeger, to be all riled up which ended up in an awkward fisticuff. Unfortunately this time, Reiner was not around to be the peacekeeper. Thus, the responsibility landed on both Armin and Bertolt and they ended up having to carry both boys to the only Medical Bay in camp. Eren dreaded the idea while Jean gleefully agreed because it meant that he would be able to see Mikasa.

 

They stopped in front of the slightly ajar door to the medical room, where the light of a lantern illuminated the narrow space between the opening. All four of them lined their heads up between the crack of the door with Bertolt so obviously at the top, followed by Jean, Eren, and Armin. Their eyes peered into the room, afraid they might be interrupting an existing occupant of the room.

 

They saw Mikasa fast asleep peacefully, with a blanket draped over her body. Jean was about to push the door open when Bertolt held his hand back, upon realizing that there was someone else sitting in the middle of the bed which Mikasa was resting on. Imagine the surprise on their faces (except Bertolt) as the other person was Reiner and he was brushing a few strands of Mikasa’s hair away from her face and he leaned down to touch his lips gently against her forehead. His fingers played against one of her cheeks so gently like one would to a precious keepsake.

 

Jean gasped in horror. ‘ ‘Ol Reiner must be out of his mind. Mikasa would kill him’. But secretly, he was a bit jealous that someone else got to touch Mikasa and her beautiful hair.

 

Eren was grossed out. ‘Come on. Wake up and kick his ass, Mikasa!’

 

Armin clutched his chest in panic. He had a feeling someone was going to get hurt badly. Again.

 

As if sensing an intrusion of her slumber, the raven-haired girl’s eyes shot open upon the rude awakening. But instead of throwing Reiner’s body off the bed or alerting someone of the unwanted visit, she gave him a shy yet sleepy smile right before she pulled the tall blonde’s head down for a kiss. A very long one at that.

 

“What the f-”

 

Eren wasn’t able to complete his sentence as Bertolt quickly pulled the three younger boys away from the door and hurriedly ushered them away from the Medical Room.

 

“Gross. That’s my sister! Bertolt-wait, did you know? How long has this been going on?” Eren’s mouth gaped open with fury in his eyes.

 

Bertolt shook his head lightly. “It’s really none of our business. You could ask them about it but definitely not right now.”

 

“What do you mean not right now?”

 

Armin, being the reliable and rational person, was again Bertolt’s savior when he patted Eren and Jean at the back. “We should respect Mikasa’s privacy and we’ve seen how happy she was inside there. If it wasn’t something she wanted, she would’ve known how to take care of herself right, guys?”

 

Eren and Jean nodded reluctantly, finding it very hard to accept what they just witnessed yet the four of them headed to the dormitories together in peaceful silence.

 

“I swear I will kill Reiner if he makes me an uncle one day.”

 

“EREN, SHUT UP!!!!”

 

Eren and Jean broke into another fight.

 

So much for a peaceful walk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N : If you managed to reach the end of the story, thank you and well done. For a rare pairing that is normally frowned upon, if my internet search had been of any indication, I’m glad it still makes people curious about how far these two people can go given the chance. Whatever your feelings or feedbacks might be towards this story, I am already grateful that you would even give it a try.
> 
> I have started working on my next ReiKasa fic in an alternative plotline inside the canon setting so I really hope there are fellow ReiKasa fans out there who would give it a read as well. I would like to begin 2018 with a new ReiKasa story and it will be titled “Mad Love”. Do keep a lookout for that one under the Mikasa Ackerman/Reiner Braun tag :)
> 
> Lastly, thank you to Quietcelt & 104 Headcanon Corps on Tumblr for always supplying me with inspirations for this couple. Thank you to Amethystaa for your unwavering support. I’m so glad I made you a ReiKasa believer! If you’d like to share your love for this rare pair, or just like to chat/bounce some ideas off with me, do send an ask at my Tumblr!
> 
> Happy New Year 2018!


End file.
